A Memorable Mother’s Day with Small Businesses in Rhode Island and Beyond

So far, this year has been unlike any other in collective memory. St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Passover, and Ramadan have all looked different in the light of social distancing. With Mother’s Day approaching it’s hard not to think how different it will look this year. There will be no brunch with your sister or mimosas with your girlfriend, and most of us won’t see our mom at all.

But that doesn’t mean Mother’s Day is canceled. If you’re anything like us, you’re feeling especially grateful for the moms in your life now more than ever. So while we can’t deliver the hugs and kisses we would like to, it’s no reason to throw in the towel.

Check out these small businesses below, who are offering curbside pickup, custom packages, pre-made meals, and online fitness classes, to find the perfect gift for the mom in your life. Good for the economy. Good for mom. Easy for you.

This year, we are proud to collaborate with local artist Susy Pilgrim Waters and Boston-based Community Servings for a very special Mother’s Day fundraiser! By sending a personalized card or gift box of McCrea’s slow-cooked, handcrafted caramels to the special mother-figure in your life, you will provide scratch-made meals to a mom facing critical illness in Massachusetts.

At a time when sending a message of love and appreciation has never been more important, Community Servings’ Meals4Moms fundraiser allows you to safely honor the special women in your life on Mother’s Day, from the comfort of your own home

Card & Small Gift Box of McCrea’s Caramels ($60)
Your donation will provide two week’s worth of meals for a mom in need, and your recipient will receive your personalized card with a small box of (40) handcrafted, decadent caramels in four unique flavors.

Card & Large Gift Box of McCrea’s Caramels ($90)
Your donation will provide three week’s worth of meals for a mom in need, and your recipient will receive your personalized card with a large box of (80) handcrafted, decadent caramels in four unique flavors.

What better way to brighten mom’s (or anyone’s!) day than with gorgeous fresh flowers for you or a loved one delivered right to you. Floral arrangements vary per customer request starting at $30.

DIY kits are $10 and $15.

I offer completely contactless delivery dressing your front door with fresh blooms. Please message me on Facebook at Angela Rotondo’s Alice’s Table.

We all know this is an extremely difficult time for everyone for an array of reasons. As a small business owner community is so important to me and my staff. We’re trying so hard to keep out business going right now so that we all have a job to come back to once the economy opens up again. Although most of what we sell is considered non-essential, we also know that in times like these it can be the small things that make someones day. Getting a puzzle dropped off on your porch, or receiving a gift in the mail on your birthday. We feel that these little things are helping people get through all of this one day at a time.

We are also now offering an assortment of pre-made care packages with different themes and different price points. Thay’re great for birthdays, a thank you to someone you know who is working for all of us on the frontline or just a sweet way to send some virtual love and care to someone in your life who is having a tough time right now.

We have added a ton of inventory to our website and you are able to shop our Instagram as well. We are still shipping orders anywhere in the country, offering contactless curbside pickup and local delivery.

We are here to help you continue your yoga practice and connect with yourselves and others with our skilled and experienced yoga instructors.

Live online yoga classes from our skilled instructors is $8 to drop in.

During this stressful and unsure time, it’s more important than ever for us all to take care of do healthy things for ourselves. Exercise can be both a fun and useful tool for reducing stress, battling fatigue, keeping our immune systems Up and keeping us feeling good! Divine Barre has started a virtual studio where you have access to both live and recorded classes to work with everyone’s schedules.

Divine Barre’s schedule is available at divinebarre.com and on the Mindbody app. We are offering classes on the Zoom platform which is very easy to use and all you need at home for equipment is a chair or table, a rolled up towel (or small Pilates ball if you have one) and 2 water bottles, wine bottles or large soup cans to use as weights!

Drop-in classes are $15 each, a 4 pack of classes is $48 and a 10 pack of classes is $100. Price includes a recording of each class you sign up for that can be taken within 24 hours of the scheduled class.

We’re trying to make our classes accessible to everyone because we know how important it is to stay active right now. If you can’t make it to a “live” online class, as long as you sign up for the class you’d like to take, you’ll receive a link to a recording that you can do on your own time within 24 hours of the finish of class!

Cerulean offers virtual shopping, gift boxes, and so much more. I am shipping for free, as well as offering no contact pick up and delivery! I am also offering e-gift cards for shopping later! Shopping at Cerulean helps support over 60 artists that I carry in the shop. It has a massive ripple effect with every purchase, and we are happy to offer a variety of items at different price points.

We realize that expecting parents and families are facing huge stressors during this time, and have been working hard to find ways to support from afar. To help families manage anxiety and financial strain, and to cultivate community during this stressful time of COVID-19, we are offering weekly LIVE ZOOM yoga and movement classes for pregnant and postpartum families, on a “Pay as You’re Able” ($0-$20) basis. We will soon have “Dial a Doula” office hours for pregnant and new families to call in with questions and speak to a trained and experienced doula, and offer longer consultations. Finally, Our BIRTH + POSTPARTUM EDUCATION workshops are all now ONLINE.

Movement classes and Dial a Doula are available on a “Pay as You’re Able,” honor system, from $0-$20 per session. All of our other services continue to be offered on a tiered structure based on a family’s income and resources and taking into account financial impact from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please help us keep our “doors open” by contributing as much as you are able toward our classes and workshops and spreading the word to friends and family. Open Circle is a micro, single-mother owned business, dedicated for the past 16 years to supporting pregnant, birthing and new families. Like so many small mission-driven organizations, we stay in business solely through the participation of our students and clients.

Please visit our website for more information. All classes and consultation services are being offered on the zoom platform.

Take meal planning off Mom’s plate!  Dream Dinners is open and fully stocked. Dream Dinners is zoned as a specialty food store meaning we are an essential business and will continue to provide delicious dinners to our guests through curbside pickup. As we continue to do business, the safety of our guests and their families is our top priority.

Dream Dinners in Plainville has been in operation for 13 years. We are permitted by the Plainville, MA Board of Health. We train all our staff in proper food handling practices and keep up-to-date on our ServSafe certifications. We clean and sanitize our store multiple times per day and are taking many precautions to make the service we provide safe for both our consumers and our staff.

A standard order for twelve medium(3 serving) meals will range in price from ~$250 – $280 depending upon what you order. For guests new to Dream Dinners the Meal Prep Starter package is the best place to start; for $99 you get 6 medium meals or 3 large meals.

Visit the website at www.dreamdiners.com. Use the code: APRILMFY (for the April menu) or MAYMFY (for the May menu)to place an order to be Made for You with curbside pick up. The code will waive the $25 assembly fee typically charged for the Made for You service.