“To hold every heart with steady, motherly love—small rituals of care, wise guidance, and compassionate presence delivered through handwritten notes, calls, videos, and thoughtful surprises.”

Hi — I’m Elisa Stella, founder of Everyone Needs a Mom. I live in Southern California. This work began with a simple habit: whenever someone in my life was missing a mother, I did the motherly things without a second thought. Over time those small acts — helping with celebrations, sending notes on birthdays and holidays, answering the questions people had no one else to ask — revealed themselves as a calling.

The spark

I noticed people moving through life’s milestones without a mother’s steady presence. I saw grief, estrangement, and everyday moments where no one was there to offer comfort or guidance. In online support groups I witnessed chosen families stepping in when biological families couldn’t. I was also inspired by cultural practices where people bring in family roles for important events. Those patterns made an idea click: what if we offered a reliable, compassionate motherly presence to anyone who needs it?

What shaped my heart

I was raised with love, and a grandmother figure played a meaningful role in my upbringing. That experience taught me how powerful unconditional care can be. I have been stepping into stand-in mom roles since my early twenties, and in 2025 I formalized that life’s work into Everyone Needs a Mom.

Why this matters

Loss and estrangement are more common than many expect, and public-health leaders are raising alarms about loneliness and social isolation as serious concerns for well-being. Those facts make this mission urgent: people need steady, compassionate connection now more than ever.

For more on the research:

• Parent–adult child estrangement prevalence and patterns: NIH
• U.S. Surgeon General advisory on social connection and loneliness: HHS
• CDC report on loneliness and lack of social and emotional support: CDC

What we offer

Everyone Needs a Mom offers a spectrum of motherly care so people can choose what feels right:

• MOM HUGS (free) — Monthly email love notes and birthday/holiday e-cards.
• Mom’s Thinking About You — Monthly handwritten note by mail, birthday/holiday cards, and a recipe or inspirational quote.
• Mom’s Care Package — Adds small tokens twice a year and access to Wisdom & Support resources.
• Mom On Call — Weekly personalized check-ins, short monthly video messages, plus the mail offerings above.
• HEART TO HEART — THE FULL EXPERIENCE — The deepest level of care: monthly calls, personalized care packages, birthday and holiday gifts, Book Club access, and ongoing text/email support.

How we’ll grow

I’m starting this work myself. As we grow I’ll train caring volunteers — parents, grandparents, and other nurturing people — to become trained mother-figures. Initially many will volunteer; as the program expands, trained caregivers will be brought into paid roles so we can serve more people consistently and safely.

Join us

If you’re curious but unsure, sign up for MOM HUGS — it’s free and sends monthly notes and seasonal cards to remind you someone cares. If your heart needs more, choose a package that fits the level of care you want. If you’d like to volunteer as a trained mother-figure, we’d love to hear from you.

I can’t fix every wound. Some losses are lifelong and complex. But I can be a steady presence in the spaces where motherly love would have lived. That’s the heart of Everyone Needs a Mom: to sit with you, celebrate your joys, help you grieve, and remind you — month after month — that you matter.

— Elisa Tangermann, Founder