Baby Buggy has been striving to increase distribution in the Bronx through Baby Buggy’s Family Resource Center at St. Anthony’s Head Start as the Bronx continues to have the highest child poverty rate across boroughs, with 82.9% of families with children living in poverty. Baby Buggy was thrilled to be able to provide families enrolled in it's Bronx Family Resource Center with a recent donation that included 7,144 items! This donation included many gear items, including high chairs, strollers and car seats, as well as diapers, clothing, bath products, bedding and feeding supplies. For the holidays, Baby Buggy was able to provide these families with 200 gift wrapped presents of toys and dvds, as well as books and holiday chocolate bars as a special treat.
In the past six months, Baby Buggy has been able to distribute over 11,945 items to families enrolled in the Baby Buggy Family Resource Center at St. Anthony’s – a 129% increase in distribution compared to the previous 6 months. Baby Buggy continues to refer the families at St. Anthony’s to various community resources providing services ranging from housing and immigration legal services to benefits screening and banking services in the community. Baby Buggy often receives feedback that client families enrolled in the FRC are more likely to follow-through with these referrals, participate in educational offerings at St. Anthony’s and take the related action steps because they are receiving Baby Buggy donations as incentives. The staff at St. Anthony’s is very thankful for this because it makes it easier to engage their clients, increase participation in various offerings, and make great strides at improving their current situations. The following anecdote describes the impact of Baby Buggy’s FRC at St. Anthony’s:
‘Buggy is a way to service families in need. Baby Buggy has been a God send to us. It is a great feeling when a family enters the program and via a home visit we are able to identify that this is a family who will benefit from Baby Buggy donations. It gives you a good feeling to open up the Baby Buggy Family Resource Room and know that these families can be taken care of immediately. On the positive side for St. Anthony's we have seen a higher percent of parent participation during meetings and workshops and through volunteering’.
Maria Ramos, Center Supervisor at St. Anthony’s Head Start
Baby Buggy is looking forward to continuing our support of Bronx families in need through our Family Resource Center. We will continue to donate items that are most essential for the families we serve, including baby gear, winter gear and clothing, diapers, as well as books and bath products. Many thanks for supporting our work.