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Random Acts of Kindness

This all-female village is changing women's lives with fresh starts across the nation

Life can be a hot mess. Sometimes, it takes a village to sort it out, and the women of the Hot Mess Express are the villagers to do it.  

It started with a cry for help on social media. Jen Hamilton was scrolling through a mom’s Facebook group when she saw a post from a woman suffering from postpartum depression and anxiety. Struggling to keep up with things like laundry, clutter, and dishes, the woman was in search of an affordable cleaning company to help her get back on track.

Hamilton could relate, and it gave her an idea.

She rallied other moms from the community, and in just a few days, they were on the woman's doorstep, ready to give her a much-needed reset. In doing so, they not only changed her life but also theirs.

“It was so powerful, just the power of community and the power of women,” said Hamilton. “And we just said we're at the start of something big.”

More “rescue missions” followed, and Hamilton soon founded Hot Mess Express, a female-led nonprofit that tackles household chores for overwhelmed women, making them feel seen, heard, and relieved.  

At the beginning of each mission, the team walks through the home and tries to get to know the person to figure out the best ways to help. The goal is to create a sustainable new way of life.

“We don't want to come in and surface clean, and then it goes right back to what it is,” said Brittinie Tran, President of Hot Mess Express. “We organize drawers, cabinets, we get in deep, and we do that so that we're trying to offer a fresh start, so they can handle it from there.”

Women from all walks of life can nominate loved ones or themselves for the service.

Kelly Hobbs was juggling a job, being a mom, and adjusting to fostering a newborn. Housework had gotten away from her. She'd been volunteering with Hot Mess Express when she realized she, too, needed a little help. So she nominated herself, and the team came to her rescue.

“We all could use help from time to time," said Hobbs. “Being a mom and ‘momming’ is not easy, and it's easy to get overwhelmed. ...There's this team of women in Hot Mess Express that are judgment-free, that don't make you feel ashamed, that make you feel like they're exactly like you.”

Watch these women tackle other women's chores when life gets a little too much.

The female-led nonprofit has taken off, growing to over 200 chapters across the United States.

“We are not here to take pity on you," says Tran. "We are here because we get it. We relate. We've been there, and we're just here to help. That's it. No strings attached.”

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