As families living in poverty have been impacted more than others by the events of these past 18 months, delivering uninterrupted and increased services to meet this need and support them through it has been our top priority. An integral part of this has been ensuring that all babies have a safe place to sleep in their homes. We are so thankful to the Giustra Foundation for their $20,000 sponsorship of our Safe Place to Sleep Program and whose funding has made this possible.
This financial support has allowed us to maintain our supply of cribs, cradles, bassinets, and mattresses so that we are able to provide this essential item as families have requested them.⠀
Providing families with access to everything they need to create a safe place to sleep for their babies is a crucial component of our overall program delivery. We know just how important it is for both parent and child to sleep and rest, particularly in the earliest months together as everyone is adjusting to a very different way of living and regular patterns are disrupted. Not only is safe and comfortable sleep essential to an infant’s development and safety, it is also imperative for a parent’s mental and physical health, which affects their overall capacity to care for their child(ren). Because of this, we know that this program’s benefits to the entire family are tremendous.
As cribs specifically come at a significant price point, they are also unfortunately an item that many families simply cannot afford without making significant sacrifices in their budget, sometimes coming at the expense of paying utilities, purchasing food, or other fundamental needs. We also pair these cribs and bassinets with matching bedding for each family so they can set up and use the cribs, cradles, and bassinets immediately without incurring additional costs. Without access to outside support, there are also times when the question of where to lay the baby safely to sleep remains unanswered and makeshift arrangements are made instead.
We hear these stories firsthand from families too often, as well as from their support workers, and are compelled to respond.
Our mission is always to support families by providing the items needed for them to safely care for their babies and toddlers — and bassinets, cradles, and cribs have always been one of our most frequently requested items and are, therefore, essential in achieving this. Thanks to funding generously provided by the Giustra Foundation, we have been able to ensure that parents of infants and toddlers throughout Vancouver’s Lower Mainland have access to a Safe Place to Sleep for their little ones.
As a direct result of this donation from the Giustra Foundation, we have been able to provide close to 500 cribs, cradles, bassinets, and mattresses cumulatively to families in need over this past year.
A big thank you to the Giustra Foundation for helping so many families in our community get to sleep safe and sound! We are so grateful to have had a steady supply of cribs and bassinet, ensuring a safe place to sleep for every baby.