Meet Kathryn Flores | Mission Moms Founder & Community Philanthropist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kathryn Flores and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kathryn, what do you attribute your success to?
There are so many fabulous causes and ways to give back but seeing the needs in our backyard was simply shocking — hunger is a gateway to significant obstacles in the lives of vulnerable children, and it’s a problem that is often overlooked and underserved. We know that the best way to take care of our heart is to surround ourselves with a community doing good. The biggest success of Mission Moms is our people, meeting His people, on their own ground. This is cause is definitely our “lane” and allows us to maintain a healthy heart and prevent the cobwebs that apathy and neglect often create. Our vision at the decade milestone is to meet vulnerable families where they are and provide compassionate, heartfelt blessings from real people who want nothing more than to serve and go above and beyond to better the world around them. The gratitude from families who receive our gifts as well as equally heartwarming stories from volunteers whose lives are forever changed is enough to tug at your heartstrings, take your breath away, and make you want to join the cause. We are blessed to teach our children and community to give. One child at a time, and one person at a time, we can make a difference!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

The ‘real world’ can often taint us from the path we were meant to lead. However, Kathryn Hart Flores decided years ago that blending her love for brand marketing and aligning it with business-to-business partners creates a solid foundation for both professional and personal growth. Beyond the Walls Marketing LLC (“BTW”) was formed with a focus to integrate business marketing initiatives with hyper-local, micro-influencer platforms. Her belief, “The strength of the walls is only as good as its foundation.” BTW elevates the expectations of a business engaged in its own backyard, its “foundation” for growth.

Similarly, Mission Moms and our growing team of volunteers, children, neighboring businesses, and local officials have partnered with Denton County school districts delivering food during school breaks. These meals are intended for families who qualify for the state’s free/reduced meal program and live-in district-identified low-wealth communities. It was a plan that worked for many years — until the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020. Suddenly, schools were being forced to shut down. Restaurants were closed or limited in capacity, and grocery store shelves were thinning out by the day. Everyone felt they had to team-up to do something different for the families who depended on these meals.

That’s when the idea for a true, feet-on-the-street Mobile Meals was born and aligned well into Kathryn’s vision for Beyond the Walls. Mission Moms coordinated with the school districts, who generously step up with us to go door-to-door to deliver meals. We served families for 28 straight weeks, dividing up and literally walking down every street and to every door to meet families in their own communities, on their own grounds. Mobile Meals proved that when we surround ourselves with people who make us better, we are always better together. “It’s like the muscle-memory of an athlete. The more you swing a baseball bat, the better you will be at batting. The more we teach a Servant’s Heart, the better the chances a ‘village’ can raise the next generation into productive, proactive, positive, contributing people in our world,” Flores passionately shares.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In a county nearing a million people, Denton County is a tight-knit, loyal community of good business and great people. We would eat, shop and dine local to give back to a county that has given so much! Mission Moms receives support and food donations from county churches, local government friends, neighbors, school districts, and local restaurants. We are beyond blessed by the unwavering support and donations — so our favorite place in our favorite city, is anywhere we can meet people, where they are, to serve. We hope to motivate new groups, churches, school groups, school teams, and businesses to join the charge and support here, in our own backyard.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We should never underestimate the value of a smile and the difference we can make when we wake up to be a change in someone else’s life. Throughout this past year, it became apparent we are only as good as our loyal tribe of Board, volunteers and school district administration. Tension was running high in our homes and our backyards, grocery store shelves were emptying, schools were closed, and officials are urging many to stay inside. Mission Moms stepped up when so many were forced to step back. We know challenges arise in circumstances without a pandemic, a timeless quote from the late Fred Rogers emerged again: “Look for the helpers.” His mother reminded him to find these people in times of tragedy and anxiety, and it continues its spirit now. At the end of this ‘book’ we are writing together, we will see that we are all just broken souls, and we have to CHOOSE to do better with the time we’ve been gifted, surround ourselves with people that make us better, and reclaim our own purpose to inspire and share hope. This mission may have started with moms and children. But it is so much more than that. It’s our community coming together, and it’s because of the energy of good people that we are fortunate to continue making extraordinary change for people who truly deserve a helping hand. Each family’s challenge is the center of their universe, so their struggles are met with grace and tenderness. Every mission is only as successful as the Servant’s Hearts that lead us.

Website: https://missionmoms.org/

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