I’m sitting with my mom, Lupe Rivera, in her office at PB&J Services. It’s homey, with a plant on her desk, and comforting as the light streams in through her window. But this isn’t always where she works. She spends most of her time driving and visiting families in their homes. I usually see her when she gets home from that, carrying the weight of the work and the families she’s caring for. I came to her office on this day in hopes of learning more about what “family services” are, and why my mom is so dedicated to doing this work. 

PB&J Family Services is a helping hand for families in crisis. Often, these are  parents who have lost custody of their children to the state. 

The organization aims to give parents the tools and resources they need to bring their families back together. 

My mom told me she works directly with  families who prove they are ready for all the help they can receive. 

“They signed up with us to do parenting class,” she said. 

During the 16-week class, my mom  becomes their teacher, helping them build success for themselves. 

“I make a family plan to set up their goals,” she said .”I also set up activities to do with them.” 

My mom has  always put herself before others. While I was growing up, she was very present in my life and in the lives of my classmates —-kids she didn’t even know. 

“That’s how this all got started, as I was volunteering in both of my daughter’s classrooms,” she told me. “I just always had a passion for working with kids and helping families.” 

She says seeking the services PB&J provides is stigmatized. So, in addition to working to help the families reunite, my mom strives to change the way her clients are perceived. 

“Because there are parents who are first-timers and they don’t know how to take care of a baby,” she said, adding that seeking help is a positive goal “Coming here should look good on them, not bad.” 

She said  her clients are doing everything in their power to change the situations they’re in, so she works hard to help them do that.