The Beginning!!

by Andrew
Here we are on the first weekend of working in the store space, setting up the back room and unboxing smalls.

We are nearly there with opening our new thrift store!

by Andrew

Please help us in our fundraising efforts by contributing to our Zeffy campaign. Help us make a strong start and strong impact from the first day as so many folks are already in desperate need of food.

https://www.zeffy.com/fundraising/donate-to-feed-more-folks

https://www.zeffy.com/fundraising/donate-to-feed-more-folks

Our Back Story

by Andrew

Mama Edna McLamb was diagnosed with lung cancer in late 2012, a few short months after her 74th, Pink-Hair Birthday. In the early months of 2013, her children, husband and I took turns driving Mama Edna to appointments. During this time, we discovered that many folks with debilitating conditions are often alone and lack support and the financial means to sustain them before, during and post treatments. 

We often juiced for Mama Edna and discovered how well her body responded, and in doing so, discovered how helpful this process was for so many folks who needed nutritional boosts in their diets. Thus, began the mission of paying it forward for Mama Edna. We bought several juicers in early 2013 before Mama Edna got her heavenly wings in May. It was then that we began our journey to creating an official  nonprofit to honor her legacy of helping others. In August 2013, in the same week we got our finalized paperwork from Elaine Marshall’s office at the Secretary of State, friends in Jamestown, NC helped out by creating our first fundraiser full of music and food and juicing!! 

Over the next decade, we bought many juicers for folks, spent lots of 💲money 💲 on fresh, organic 🥦 produce 🥒 for juicing and eating and sustaining folks. We grew mountains of wheat grass and delivered it to homes. We did in home demos of juicers and made folks comfortable with the process. We made trips to doctors offices with clients when no one else could go. We helped win some cancer battles and we lost a few, but every family felt that our support gave a better quality of life no matter the ultimate outcome. 

In 2020 when COVID struck and everyone was isolated, we discovered there were folks in need of food and that 1 in 5 people in North Carolina were and STILL are suffering from food insecurity. Our aid became mostly food gift cards. Now, we are looking for the funding to open a 🌎♻️thrift store ♻️🌎to bring more awarenss and much more fundraising to the food security platform. From this spot is where our journey will continue…..(side note, Mama Edna loved pink and she loved butterflies, hence the logo.) 

Please email us with any questions you have. Thanks so much for your support over the years and for your continued support as we make this dream a reality. 💙🦋💙🦋💙🦋

Andrew Klutz, Co-Founder and CEO

Timothy McLamb, Co-Founder and Secretary (and 3rd child of 4)

Craig Eister, Treasurer and major donor

Don, Pam and Patti (children 1, 2 and 4) and major supporters


Our Mission is to help curb the hunger crisis! Access to food is a human right.

by Andrew

Mission Statement: To bring awareness of food insecurities as they exist among our most vulnerable populations, to gift it forward by honoring Mama Edna’s legacy of feeding those who are hungry and to lift folks out of these insecurities by helping them thrive in all aspects of their lives to include helping them grow their own food when possible.


We are soooooo close to getting our final inspection for our thrift store called Mama Edna’s located at 1393 Maynard Rd SE Cary, North Carolina 27511.

by Andrew

Andrew’s Birthday Fundraiser to help End Hunger

by Andrew

https://www.facebook.com/1529761653/posts/pfbid029knpAgh5wYMECs7c2zX84eMDr58SSrPspeFfCovxXJJN6CFzv4y8pi57WydNk4eBl/?d=n


We’re Trying to Get Our Building Permit…..

by Andrew

But it is taking longer than expected. Meanwhile, please keep looking for updates here or on our Facebook and IG pages. Thanks for for support! 🦋💙🦋💙🦋💙🦋💙.

If you are interested in volunteering with us, please email Drew at themamaednaproject@gmail.com and let’s get ready for some fun!

Here is the newest donations guidelines: these are a work in progress until we can determine whether the space we are leasing will contain it all. Once we get a store stocking approval, we will make an announcement about bringing donations.


Gifting Food

by Andrew

The gift of FOOD is ALWAYS perfect. Please shop on our Amazon Wishlist, adding other items to your cart a you see fit. Thanks for your support! 🦋💙🦋💙🦋💙

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3VOTY0OA8V0KT?ref_=wl_share

Happy Holidays!!


Vote for Our Tree, Vote for Food Security

by Andrew

The Downtown Cary, NC Gifting Tree 2024 contest is almost over. Voting goes through December, 22nd. Please vote for our tree to help us bring new funding and awareness to the hunger crisis in North Carolina. Here is the link for voting for our tree.

https://www.carync.gov/recreation-enjoyment/events/holiday-events/heart-of-the-holidays-celebration/gifting-tree-project/gifting-tree-project-voting


Dorcas Food Pantry Donation

by Andrew

In mid July, several donors asked us if we could help in some way fight food insecurity during this pandemic. We went to work researching the best approach. We decided to donate $1500 to the Dorcas Ministries Food Pantry here in Cary, North Carolina, primarily because Mama Edna loved to shop at Dorcas Thrift shop to support their mission. Paying it forward was a huge part of her life, so we paid it forward. #dorcas #growyourown #foodinsecurity

Andrew Klutz of The Mama Edna Project and Kathy Goldston, Manager of the Dorcas Food Pantry

#dorcas https://dorcascary.org/staff-directors/

#payitfoward #foodinsecurity #growyourown #juicingforcancer #turmerictuesday