These last several months have irreversibly changed and shaped us and emphasized the need to be nimble and agile in our operations. With the outbreak of COVID-19, it was necessary to shift and pivot our model quickly and effectively, so we could still provide essential items to the families who needed them more than ever. 

Our commitment to providing baby gear for every baby, knowing what a difference this makes to the physical and psychological well-being of a family welcoming a new baby home, is unwavering despite new obstacles. We know that marginalized populations are disproportionately impacted during times of crisis, and this makes our work more important than ever. Unfortunately, for the safety of our families, volunteers and staff, for a time we were unable to accept donations from people’s homes into our facility as news updates changed by the hour and our province waited for direction and clarity. As accepting previously loved donations has always been our primary method of obtaining gear to redistribute to families in need, this posed a significant problem.

Here is where you came in. We asked you, our amazing BabyGoRound community, to help us build up funds to purchase necessary gear so we could continue to serve families throughout the Lower Mainland and ensure that every family on our growing waitlist received the essential items they needed so very much. We worked behind the scenes to obtain deep discounts with baby gear companies so your money could go as far as possible.

We asked you to help us raise $10,000 in 10 days and instead, you went above and beyond and raised $12,000!

Not only did this allow us to rebuild supplies with very little disruption to our distribution, but it was also an enormous encouragement to our team and a reminder that there are so many others out there who are passionate about helping families in need safely care for their babies. 

Soon after, we began our Contactless Gear Drop-Off system and saw enormous success with donations being dropped off once again.

We have unbelievably seen 35 bassinets, 40 bouncy chairs, 40 infant carriers, 44 nursing pillows, 27 play mats, 11 double strollers and 40 single strollers come through our doors throughout this time.

To ensure the safety of our families, we have held items at our facility for a week and then cleaned and sanitized items before creating bundles specific to each family’s need. We are so grateful to many of you for the extra care you have taken to ensure your items are complete with all necessary pieces and properly cleaned. Giving away quality items that are in the condition we would wish for our own children’s use is a top priority for us, and essential to treating the families we serve with respect and dignity.

When we reopened on May 12, we had 115 families on our waitlist and, because of your help, we have now been able to see over 100 of them.

We want to thank you so very much for being there for us and the families we serve when we needed you most! It has made the world of difference to so many and we have grown as an organization through this experience. It is certainly not over yet, but we are so proud of what we’ve accomplished because of your support and that of our amazing partners. 

Stay tuned for upcoming opportunities for volunteers to get involved with our operations and for additional gear drop off dates! We are so excited for what the rest of 2020 has to hold for BabyGoRound.