Who We Are
Our founders, two nurses working in the field of public health, noticed first-hand how more and more families are struggling to acquire the basic necessities of life in today's economy. A new baby puts an added strain on already limited resources and many babies lack appropriate items of clothing and blankets to stay warm and thrive during their crucial first year of life.
On the other hand, babies in many other communities are fortunate to have an excess of clothing during the course of their first year and many items are only worn once or twice or never used before they are outgrown.
Our goal is to provide a way to get these surplus items into the arms of mothers with babies in need.
Donated gently used or new clothing in Preemie to 12 month sizes along with blankets and accessories (hats, socks, bibs) are being collected. Clothes are sorted and items of each size sufficient for the first year are placed in a reusable blue or pink canvas bag and labeled for a baby "boy" or "girl".
Multilingual educational materials related to SIDS and information on other prevention issues are also included with each package.
The completed bags are then distributed by nurses and social workers to low income, military, immigrant, and foster families in need within underserved areas. Hospitals, prenatal clinics, social service agencies, and homes are typical delivery sites. Click here to see a list of current distribution sites.
Our Beliefs
- Every baby needs to have adequate clothing and blankets
- Numerous people have gently used or unworn baby clothing and blankets that are no longer needed
- There are many mothers and babies in need, including those from military, immigrant, low income and foster families
- Particular attention should be paid to teen mothers and minority populations in San Diego County including Hispanic, African/Black, and Asian/Pacific Islander
- In underserved populations many babies are born pre-term or at a low birth weight and therefore "preemie" sized clothing should also be distributed
- Packages to new mothers will include: blankets, socks, hats, pants, short and long sleeve onesies, sleepers, bibs, and some extra items including overalls, jackets, and dresses
- Packages to new mothers should also include multilingual educational materials about local services available and relevant prevention issues such as SIDS
In Addition:
- Many parents are looking for a special place to donate their much loved baby clothing and accessories to help babies in need
- Collection sites for donations should be in easily accessible locations throughout San Diego County
- Distribution can be accomplished readily through public health nurses, social workers, and prenatal clinic sites
Board of Directors
Debbie Alston
President & CEO
Open
Vice President
Camille Currier
Secretary
Vicki Geehan
Treasurer & CFO
Sharon Dutton
Director of Operations
Judy Blackford
Director of Community Relations
Roger Schlarb
Director of Finance
Vicki Geehan
Director of Volunteers
Jan Rightmer
Director at Large
Judith Lawson
Director at Large
Benita Page
Director at Large
