Heart of a Mother Award 2025: Honoring Stacy Menz’s Impact

The week before Mother’s Day, Moms Against Poverty launched the “Heart of a Mother Award” campaign to spotlight a woman whose compassion and dedication leave a lasting imprint on their families and communities, through whose everyday efforts too often go unseen. One such remarkable woman is Stacy Menz, the 2025 award winner.

Stacy, a single mother by choice, exemplifies the strength and spirit the campaign seeks to honor. As a pediatric physical therapist and founder of Starfish Therapies, She has established a reputation for prioritizing care and accessibility in child development services. Her work focuses on pediatric physical therapy for underserved families, ensuring that all children receive the support they need.

In 2020, amidst the global pandemic, Stacy created a lifeline for isolated families through consistent Saturday gatherings at Golden Gate Park’s Botanical Gardens. These meetings weren’t just moments of connection; they laid the foundation for strong social networks that supported communities of single mothers.

A dinner is being donated to Menz by a mother and son who opened their restaurant called Seafood Station together in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco five years ago. The two generously decided to join Moms Against Poverty for this holiday to celebrate hardworking Bay Area moms’ strength, love, and impact.

“My mom is the backbone of my life. She helped me become the person I am today, taught me the fundamentals of life, and taught me how to love to cook,” said Ramzy Halteh, Owner and Chef of Seafood Station. “It’s very important to give back to mothers out there.”

“Moms play such an important role in the lives of their children and their communities, often picking up more tasks than they can comfortably take on, which is why we would like to honor them this Mother’s Day,” said Delfarib Fanaie, Principal Founder & CEO of Moms Against Poverty.