The following is from MommaArts and DoulaMomma:
Local doula, Kim Collins, Owner of DoulaMomma and co-founder of MommaArts Maternity with partner Deirdre McLary, IBCLC of Upper Nyack, NY, packaged and shipped some hope and caring recently to directly aid Syrian refugee parents in Europe.
Collins spent the last couple of weeks collecting baby carriers to be sent to the organization “Carry The Future”, recently profiled by major news outlets for their mom-driven work matching parent-donated carriers with Syrian refugee parents in Greece.
Collins states, “We had quite the outpouring and so many people helped make this happen. A couple of local SOMa Swap folks donated or sold at reduced fees and some people bought new carriers, but most were lovingly passed on to serve a new family. Some parents even sent sweet notes to the next family who receives their carrier! One local mother of older kids offered funds to help defray some of the shipping costs. George Berkeley, local UPS store owner, helped us strategize about how to ship most economically and a midwifery practice we love, Avalon Midwives, agreed to host one of our drop off locations.”
Collins said because only structured carriers, which are easier to teach and adjust, can be sent, the group found a New Jersey organization that will match the carriers collected with families in need. “We even ended up with some cold weather gear for babies that will be donated to the Parenting Center to benefit local families in the Maplewood/South Orange district.”
While there has been some concern over fit and adjustability and the fact that cash can better serve the refugees, MommaArts felt that since only structured carriers that are easy to adjust are being sent, there is an intangible benefit to both the giver and receiver in this situation, said Collins.
“Baby carriers are such a personal item, imbued with loving memories. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all that’s wrong with the world. To be able to do something tangible to help someone else is a powerful thing.”
MommaArts also hopes that by bringing it down to the individual, parent to parent, “we can all see the refugees not as headlines but as fellow moms and dads who sadly find themselves in heartbreaking circumstances. It’s satisfying to me to know that my old carrier can find new life and hopefully make another parent’s journey through a difficult time a bit easier. Just because the shipment went out doesn’t mean that others can’t help. Reach out to us – we are willing to gather other shipments or see if we can help match your desire to be of service with local need.”
Kim Collins, DoulaMomma and MommaArts can be reached via www.mommaarts.com or social media @MommaArts
CarryThe Future can be found at https://www.carrythefuture.org
