5 minute read
Diapers for Dear Ones
LOCALLY SOURCED
Diapers for Dear Ones
Supporting Life in Our Community
Kara Beth Vance
Caring Network’s full-service pregnancy centers in our community and other Chicago suburbs offer pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, pregnancy consultations, resources and referrals, as well as support and counseling for women who’ve had an abortion and men who’ve participated in that decision. All these services are at no cost. The counselors at Caring Network pregnancy resource centers seek to care for women in crisis with the love and compassion of Christ, equipping abortion-minded women to choose life—both physical and spiritual.
The Caring Network staff at these centers offer access to a local Caring Network Baby Bank as a resource for women who choose to parent but do not have a support network or the resources they need.
Caring Network has three baby bank locations strategically placed to target different regions where its clients and centers are located. In the spring of this year, Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton set up a baby bank, and a handful of folks from College Church helped to set up a permanent space in their warehouse. It is now safe for the families to come in and out, more conducive for chatting, and is beautiful.
To take advantage of the bank’s services, clients need a card from Caring Network to show when they come to the baby bank. At the baby bank they receive a semi-standard set of free items (70-80 diapers in the appropriate size, three packages of wipes, baby shampoo, baby lotion, diaper rash cream and formula if needed). These target amounts help the majority of women clients to get through a two-week period before they can return to the baby bank. The Wheaton bank also has some baby clothes, maternity clothes, blankets and toys, though these are extras.
The Baby Bank in Wheaton serves 25-30 Caring Network clients every two weeks. It costs about $2,000 every two weeks to stock the Baby Bank (about $75 per family, serving somewhere between 25 and 30 families). In August, the baby bank was literally wiped out of all supplies in one night.
The last two years, we have held periodic diaper and baby care product drives to collect items at College Church. So many of you have participated in this!
These drives help supply our local Caring Network Baby Bank, too. The Baby Bank is chronically low on supplies these days as it serves more families of Caring Network clients in our community.
To help meet this ongoing need, a year-round baby supply collection effort kicks off on Sunday, October 16. On Community Outreach Sunday of the missions festival, look for the Baby Bank donation crib in the Narthex and plan to bring a package of diapers (especially sizes 4-6) or any of the following items with you to church.
• Diapers (size newborn through 6)
• Baby wipes
• Baby shampoo
• Baby lotion
• Diaper rash cream
• Formula (Similac yellow and purple are most requested)
Let’s join together to meet this increasing need and support families in our community, helping them to choose life. The Baby Bank crib will make appearances around College Church in the coming months to encourage consistent giving of baby care items. Here are some questions to consider as you become involved in Baby Bank donations.
• Are you able to incorporate some extra baby care products into your weekly grocery runs?
• Could your small group support the needs of one specific family at the Baby Bank every two weeks (about $75 in supplies per family)? We would connect you with the needs, preferences, and prayer requests of a family served by the bank.
• How could you use the Baby Bank donation crib and regular giving of tangible items to help teach your children about the value of life in the womb and helping those who have chosen life despite hard situations?
• Is bringing items to church on a Sunday too inconvenient? Scan the QR Code for the Baby Bank Amazon Wish List. Just select “Church of the Resurrection’s Gift Registry Address” for where to ship the items. You could even look into “Subscribe & Save.”
Please reach out to us at sohl@college-church.org if you have questions or want to discuss options to be more regularly involved in this. We’re also still looking to add to our team of volunteers who would take items from the Baby Bank donation crib at College Church to the Caring Network Baby Bank location at Church of the Resurrection.
MONTHLY PRAYER FOR LIFE
Join us in prayer across from Planned Parenthood Aurora during 40 Days for Life’s year-round peaceful prayer vigils for babies, families, and abortion business employees. Check out former Planned Parenthood manager Sue Thayer’s path to lead a prayer vigil outside her former clinic: https://bit.ly/3eYzEyq
Saturday, October 15, 1-2 p.m
Park at Mariano’s or behind AutoZone then meet on Waterleaf pregnancy resource center’s property across from Planned Parenthood’s driveway.
Sign up to receive SOHL monthly e-newsletter to receive events schedule and life-related news.https://college-church.org/impact/sohl/