The Local Women Helping Out with Hot Mess Express

When Daphne Boggs stumbled across a TikTok video in March 2024 about Hot Mess Express (HME), she had no idea it would change her life.

The organization, founded by women to help other women struggling with household tasks that tend to pile up and become overwhelming when the going gets tough, inspired Boggs to bring the concept to 417-land. On April 17, 2024, weeks after seeing that fateful TikTok, she established the Hot Mess Express Springfield chapter.

Within a month, over 500 women registered as volunteers. “I’m super happy to see how it’s grown,” Boggs says. “It’s very empowering.” HME’s Springfield chapter now has 800-900 volunteers who serve through “rescue missions.” These missions involve cleaning, laundry, organizing and other chores that feel impossible when someone is in survival mode. But more than the cleanup itself, the organization aims to leave recipients with “a more peaceful existence,” as Jen Hamilton, a co-founder, says in the TikTok video. 

How It Works

Anyone can nominate a woman for help—a friend, neighbor or even themselves—by filling out a Google form found in the organization’s Facebook group. One key rule? The nominee must know they’re being nominated. A volunteer team then meets monthly to review nominations. The criteria are straightforward: a safe environment for volunteers and tasks within their scope.

While HME happily tackles things like dishes, laundry and deep cleaning, there are firm boundaries. It does not help with childcare, hoarding, situations involving human or animal waste, needles or sharp objects, storage units or construction.

Springfield volunteers have done everything from unpacking after a move to tidying up for a family whose husband and father was returning from deployment. “We look at acute situations, where we can make a big impact immediately,” Boggs explains. Hot Mess Express prioritizes requests not based on the order they’re received, but in terms of need. 

Rescue Missions

Once HME approves a nominee, a volunteer coordinator rallies the troops in its Facebook group. Volunteers bring supplies—donated by volunteers themselves or gifted via the chapter’s Amazon wishlist—and spend about three hours onsite.

Empowerment Through Service

One thing about Hot Mess Express that stands out is its no-judgment approach. Instead of asking “how” or “why” about anyone’s situation, they offer a fresh start. 

The only requirement of volunteers, beyond being female, is to be “a person free of judgment, willing to extend a helping hand to the women in their community.” 

Emphasizing that point, volunteer Missy Gerbrandt, Licensed Professional Counselor and owner of Perspective Counseling, says, “I know the mental load clutter can put on a person and how freeing it is when someone comes in and helps you get things cleaned.”

What if Hot Mess Express receives a request outside of its scope? The organization offers referrals to other resources.

Volunteer with Hot Mess Express, nominate someone for help or donate rescue mission supplies by finding and joining the group on Facebook.