ELBERTA, Ala. — Halloween decorations are just going up, but supporters of Mary’s Haven are already planning for Valentine’s Day. The Baldwin County nonprofit, which helps homeless pregnant women, has set the date for its annual Be My Valentine fundraiser: Saturday, Feb. 20, 2027, at The Flora-Bama.
The afternoon event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. Event passes cost $100 and include a chance to win $10,000, a live auction, entertainment by Wes Loper and food.
Money raised supports the organization’s work with young mothers and their children, including its effort to help women move from emergency shelter to owning their own homes.
Be My Valentine fundraiser at a glance
- What: Be My Valentine, the annual fundraiser for Mary’s Haven
- When: 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, 2027
- Where: The Flora-Bama, on the Alabama-Florida line at Perdido Key
- Cost: $100 per event pass
- Included: A chance to win $10,000, a live auction, music by Wes Loper and food
Two decades of help for mothers
For 20 years, Mary’s Shelter, now known as Mary’s Haven, has provided help to homeless pregnant women who choose life for their unborn children. The organization operates as Mary’s Shelter Gulf Coast and is based in Elberta, in south Baldwin County.
According to the organization, the shelter takes in pregnant women and their children who have no safe place to live. They stay in an 11-bedroom residential home. The organization describes a program of about 15 months. During that time, residents receive prenatal and postnatal care, attend life skills and parenting classes, work toward a GED, find full-time employment, buy a vehicle and build savings before moving to independent living with their children.
The organization has said many of the mothers it serves lack family support. It has noted that more than half of its residents spent some or all of their own childhoods in foster care.
Mary’s Village: a path to home ownership
The organization has expanded with Mary’s Village, which is designed to help women transition out of the haven and prepare to buy homes of their own.
Women living in Mary’s Village pay a monthly fee that is held in escrow. After two years in the program, that money goes toward a down payment on a home. When it announced the project, the organization said each woman would have more than $25,000 for a down payment by the end of the two years.
Mary’s Shelter broke ground on the first three homes for Mary’s Village on Jan. 28, 2025. At the time, the organization said it was working with local banks and other nonprofits to offer credit counseling, credit building, budgeting and home maintenance training.
The organization created the village in response to rising housing costs in Baldwin County. In announcing the project, it said wages had not kept pace with rent increases, and average rent in the county had nearly doubled in five years. It also noted that waiting lists for subsidized housing in the county can be years long.
Sponsorship opportunities
Businesses and individuals can also support the Be My Valentine event through sponsorships. The levels are:
- Bronze: $250
- Copper: $500
- Silver: $1,000
- Gold: $2,500
- Platinum: $5,000
- Diamond: $10,000
Sponsorships give supporters another way to help young mothers and their children.
The thrift shop in Elberta
Mary’s Haven also raises money through the Mary’s Shelter Gulf Coast Thrift Shop at 25289 State Street in Elberta. The shop sells gently used clothing, furniture, household goods and toys. Proceeds help support the women the organization serves.
Shopping hours
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday
- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
Donation hours
The shop accepts donations of gently used clothing, furniture, household goods and toys from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
About the venue
The Flora-Bama is one of the best-known landmarks on the northern Gulf Coast. The beachfront bar and music venue sits on the Alabama-Florida state line at Perdido Key, just east of Orange Beach. It has operated since the 1960s and hosts regular live music along with well-known annual events such as the Interstate Mullet Toss. It regularly serves as a gathering spot for community fundraisers.
About Elberta
Elberta is a small town in southern Baldwin County, between Foley and Lillian along U.S. Highway 98. It is known for its German heritage and its twice-yearly German Sausage Festival. The town is home to the Mary’s Shelter Gulf Coast Thrift Shop on State Street.
How to help
Supporters can help Mary’s Haven in several ways:
- Buy a $100 pass to the Be My Valentine fundraiser on Feb. 20, 2027, at The Flora-Bama.
- Sponsor the event at one of the six levels, from $250 to $10,000.
- Shop at or donate gently used items to the thrift shop at 25289 State Street in Elberta.
- Contact the organization through the Mary’s Shelter Gulf Coast website to learn about volunteering or supporting Mary’s Village.