For the briefest of moments these days, the discussion platform in the private Facebook group becomes a channel to express gratitude and appreciation between individuals – many of whom have never met in person.

One woman last week received “much-needed” toilet paper and baby wipes after posting she was panicking as she ran out of the supplies. Another one got a full box of wipes dropped at her doorstep after letting group members know there were none in her small town just outside Toronto. And an elderly woman in isolation “easily” found someone to send to the grocery store, and was thankful to have food in her fridge.

“My birthday came and went during this crazy time and Angela took the time out of her crazy day in Canada to send me these beautiful flowers to brighten up my day in California,” another member captioned a picture she posted this week. “Mom Squad is the best!”

Yes, Mom Squad. An ordinary Facebook group that sprang up three years ago in a Toronto basement. Just like any other moms’ group on Facebook, the original goal was to provide mothers with a safe space to laugh, cry, share and vent. But the group has now turned into a powerful network of 32,000 members (with the majority of them here in Canada) who work to advance noble causes and help address issues affecting mothers in different communities.

And during the COVID-19 outbreak, Mom Squad has become a community hub and a stopping centre for women in need of essential supplies like baby formula and diapers – as well as a place where someone facing anxiety, loneliness or depression due to social distancing can find comfort, therapeutic discussion, advice and maybe even manage to crack a joke.

“We have moms in our group who had travelled and just came back, now living in quarantine and in need of all sorts of help,” said Niro Cooray, one of the three founding members of the group. “It’s so important to check in with them, check in on each other, just make sure everyone realizes you are not alone right now.”

Herself a mother of three, Cooray said the spread of COVID-19 has brought heightened fears for mothers all over the world, who have care for their families in addition to facing the stress of daily life: finding child care, working to pay their mortgages and other bills. A number of their group members are also health-care workers and on the front lines of fighting this pandemic every day, on she said.

COVID-19 has forced Canadians to change their usual lifestyles as they adjust to measures being taken to stop the community spread of the virus. The crisis has triggered “panic buying” and led to the scarcity of essential supplies in different towns. But in the midst of so much concern, many Canadians have also stepped up with acts of kindness in a trend being referred to as “caremongering.”

In the Mom Squad group discussions, women have been posting about how they are coping with the challenges of working from home and what to do with the kids while social distancing, Cooray said. Others have dropped in to encourage everyone to help anyone who is struggling.

An unusually high number of posts are about mental checkpoints, she said. In various instances, people have broken into smaller groups, used FaceTime to chat and share the experiences of going through the current crisis, she said.

“This is all new to everyone, and as administrators of the group we are just trying to find a way to limit discussions to what is necessary, while also avoiding to spread false information about this coronavirus,” Cooray said.

Looking out for each other and helping those in need has always been part of what drives Mom Squad. Members have organized and conducted toy drives in support of the Ronald McDonald House, a charity that works for the children’s well-being.

The group has also organized three Mom Squad galas, raising tens of thousands of dollars to support the SickKids Foundation.

“We are not just another moms’ group out there on Facebook. We try to be socially responsible as much as we can,” said Cooray. “If someone in our group gets laid off at work or is facing any other personal difficulty, we all try to step in and lend a helping hand.”

Personally, Cooray said she is trying to stay positive as she navigates the new reality while helping her kids and her parents to stay safe and informed on what is happening.

“I am worried and concerned about this thing and how long it will last,” she said, expressing her trust in the government to do “the right thing” and protect Canadians from further contamination.

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“It’s definitely been a mentally challenging time but I have to constantly remind myself that this is temporary, that this too shall pass.”

For now, part of doing the right thing for Cooray is to help ensure no one among Mom Squad group is “freaking out.” That sometimes requires triggering discussions around something “other than the virus,” she said.

“Last night I posted about what’s for dinner,” she said Wednesday. That simple post generated over 300 comments in about 10 minutes – a reminder to her that “we’re still a moms’ group after all.”

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