At over half of our 3700 appointments in 2022, expectant parents received supplies from Care Net to meet material needs. What do material supplies visits look like and how does it work at Care Net?
The Baby Boutique supports expectant and new mothers and their children from pregnancy until the child is 2.5 years old. They offer daily necessities like diapers, wipes and clothing, plus extras including toys, books, cribs, lotions, car seats and baby proofing supplies.
The Baby Boutique started in October 2019 and serves roughly 10 to 30 women each day, two to three clients at a time.
What Inspired the Baby Boutique?
Jill Searcy, (whom we call the “Jill of all trades”) a current Boutique Volunteer and Former Care Net board Member, explains the Center began providing material support years ago through the “Esther Rewards Program.” Women were empowered to earn points toward a crib and a monthly diaper donation. Otherwise, due to limited storage, a one time goodie bags of baby essentials were about the only financial support provided to the women.
In 2019, the Baby Boutique began with 2 closets full of baby items.
In early 2020, the Center rented an adjacent building on 15th Avenue to expand to an over 700 sq. foot Boutique. Within a year, because of the generosity of church and community partners, donations overflowed the new space! Long-time volunteer Gladys Kramer joined the Care Net staff part-time in 2022 as Baby Boutique Manager.
How Does the Baby Boutique Serve Clients?
Clients earn points through the Center’s “Earn While You Learn” program, completing parenting classes and Bible studies online and during appointments with client advocates. Then, clients exchange the points for items at the Baby Boutique. Items range from 1 point for three washcloths or 20 points for large, new items like strollers, cribs, and mattresses.
Volunteers also build relationships with the clients and look after their spiritual needs. “Sometimes the client will come in here concerned about anything,” Jill shares. “There are times that we’ll just stop what we’re doing and say, ‘Can we pray with you?’ The client says, ‘Oh yes, please pray with me.’”
How Does the Baby Boutique Fulfill Care Net's Goal to Create a Culture of Abundant Life?
Jill says that exchanging points for items helps clients prioritize their needs and raises their self-esteem. “I think when somebody has to earn something, that gives them a sense of pride,” Jill says. “I think it’s all part of the growth process.”
The Boutique also plays an integral role in saving lives by meeting financial needs. “Whenever I’m working, I help mothers not have to choose abortion,” Jill says. “They know that someone will be there to help support them.”
What Challenges Do Boutique Volunteers Face?
Many volunteers speak only English and must rely on clients to interpret for Spanish and Creole speaking clients. Monday is “International Day” at Care Net, where volunteers capable of speaking Haitian Creole and Spanish are ready to meet with clients. It helps to have these bilingual volunteers on the rotation, like Gladys and three other Spanish speaking volunteers, but the Center could also use more multilingual volunteers. Creole speaking volunteers are especially needed.
“That’s the main point of having volunteers who speak different languages, to make the clients more comfortable,” Gladys says. “You speak to me in English, that’s great. You speak to me in Spanish, it builds a better relationship.”
Out of the Boutique’s 21 volunteers, only seven stay on rotation during the summer. Summer is also a slower time for donations. Gladys says that the Baby Boutique could really use a summer-time boost in both donations and manpower.
“The volunteers that remain for the summer time do an amazing job being there two or three times a week in order to cope with the same client flow as during the school year,” Gladys says.
What Do Clients Say?
One mom named Madison shared in December 2022 how the Boutique helped her and her husband prepare for their unexpected little one.
“With two older children, we knew the added expense of another baby on one income could be rough,” Madison shared. We’ve been able to attain most of what we need from the Baby Boutique.”
Abby shared in Spring 2022 how the Boutique enabled her family to show generosity to others.
“Because of the Baby Boutique, I was able to get a new car seat and a new stroller when my son outgrew his infant car seat,” Abby. “Because I was able to replace them here, I am able to help my friend who is not able to get here! I am also able to now donate other things he has outgrown so that other families are able to receive help.”
About the Blogs:
Care Net is one ministry with a unified goal – to create a culture of abundant life. But many different roles must be carried out to realize this goal, from greeting each client with a smile, to meeting a mother and baby’s material needs, to supporting post-abortive women.
In this blog series, we introduce you to the invaluable services that Care Net provides to clients on a daily basis. Click here for more.