Rotarian Mark Kersey and RB Rotary Foundation Supports Gently Hugged Open House
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Gently Hugged, financially supported by Rancho Bernardo Rotary Foundation, held an Open House on August 28. It was attended by Mark Kersey, Club member and Fifth District Councilman. "As nurses working in the field of public health we witnessed first-hand how more and more families are struggling to acquire the basic necessities of life in today's economy. A new baby puts an added strain on already limited resources and many babies lack appropriate items of clothing and blankets to stay warm and thrive during their crucial first year of life.
On the other hand, babies in many other communities are fortunate to have an excess of clothing during the course of their first year and many items are only worn once or twice or never used before they are outgrown.
Our goal is to provide a way to get these surplus items into the arms of mothers with babies in need.
Donated gently used or new clothing in Preemie to 12 month sizes along with blankets and accessories (hats, socks, bibs) are being collected. Clothes are sorted and items of each size sufficient for the first year are placed in a box and labeled for a baby "boy" or "girl".
Multilingual educational materials related to SIDS and information on other prevention issues are also included with each package.
The completed boxes are then distributed by nurses and social workers to low income, military, immigrant, and foster families in need within underserved areas. Hospitals, prenatal clinics, social service agencies, and homes are typical delivery sites. Click here to see a list of current distribution sites."