This Mother’s Day season, Louisiana Right to Life launched the Love Them Both Garden, a new outreach project designed to provide practical support and encouragement to pregnant women and parenting moms in need. Inspired by the familiar Christmas “Angel Tree” model, the Garden invited churches, businesses, and community members to “adopt” a mom or baby by taking a flower tag and filling a wishlist of maternity, baby, or family essentials.

The goal was simple: give the pro-life community a tangible way to support both mother and child. Through the generosity of participating churches, businesses, families, and individual donors, the Love Them Both Garden served 78 moms and 86 babies, providing 41 large needs such as car seats, cribs, strollers, and other essential baby gear.

Eight churches, schools, businesses, and organizations participated in the Love Them Both Garden this year. 

The response was an incredible demonstration of how the pro-life movement supports moms and babies!  Many participants not only took tags, but made the project personal by shopping with their children or writing care notes to moms they adopted.

One participant shared:

“This was such a good teaching moment as a mom. I was able to teach my kids that this isn’t just about holding signs, it’s a real way to love both mom and baby.”

Another church leader said:

“I loved this project. The generosity of some of our parishioners was amazing. It created a lot of enthusiasm in our parish and we would love to be a part of this in the future.”

For the moms who received gifts, the Love Them Both Garden was a significant reminder that they are seen, valued, and have a community of support standing behind them.

One mom whose wishlist was filled wrote:

“I just wanted to let you know how appreciative and thankful I am for the wonderful gifts for my two babies. I have a 5 month old daughter and a 19 month old son. Times have been tough and dark lately and this is the light that shined through it. I am forever grateful for your kindness. Thank you.”

One of the most encouraging outcomes of the project was the way it opened doors for new conversations and relationships. In one case, a church that was unable to participate this year still began discussing how it could better support local pregnancy resource centers. That conversation led to support for their local pregnancy resource center and supplies for a mom in need there.

The Garden also reached people who may not identify as pro-life but were moved by the practical care being offered to moms. One woman reached out after seeing the project on Instagram and wrote that although she is pro-choice, she wanted to participate because she agreed with supporting mothers in need through churches and community support.

A comment on TikTok captured this impact well:

“I’m pro choice, but I love to see pro life communities doing this. You practice what you preach. I wish more were like you.”

Individuals like these can be reached, and projects like the Love Them Both Garden allow for actionable common ground we can work together on and removes barriers of distrust when we discuss abortion. Compassionate care for moms in need can soften hearts, build trust, and create new opportunities for dialogue.

We are so grateful for everyone who gave and so happy we could play a part in making this Mother’s Day one to remember for moms in need!