‘Baby Shower’ helps new moms in need

Courtney Negethon and her husband moved from Montana to Central Oregon in order to start fresh and plant new roots. Now seven months pregnant, Negethon and her husband are just trying to get by each night.

A community baby shower going on through March 31 is trying to help mothers and their babies in Deschutes County just like Negethorn.

Her husband will continue looking for work. Currently, they’re homeless, and the money they get daily is for a place to stay at night.

“It’s just for the motel room. We really don’t have a way to save money, kind of just take it day by day,” Negethon said.

When people do drop off baby care items, they have nowhere to put it.

Down the street on Greenwood Avenue from where Negethon stood is The Stork Store. Negethon said manager Karen Windlinx is letting her hold some baby items at the store, and trading some for store credit.

The Stork Store is the only non-profit baby store in Bend. The Windlinxes manage the store, selling, trading and buying baby clothes, strollers, shoes and more.

“If you help their kids out, you’ve made a friend for life. That’s been the neatest thing — the relationships that come out of it,” Windlinx said.

Windlinx said clothing is the biggest needed item, since Central Oregon gets all the seasons.

“Formula, diapers, those are major items because a lot of families can’t afford that and maybe they can’t qualify with the state to get it but they’re still struggling families,” Windlinx said.

Now parents can come into the store and choose from new or gently used products at a fraction of the price.

Here’s an earlier news release we posted about the Soroptimist program.

For eleven years, the women’s service club, Soroptimist International of Bend (SI Bend) has been making local babies a priority by holding their annual Community Baby Shower.

Making Bend’s babies warm and cuddly happens because of the generous community donations dropped into the SI Bend Community Baby Shower Baskets located, at businesses, around town, and by the various handcrafted items created by residents of area residential communities.

The 2016 SI Bend Community Baby Shower begins February 1 and runs through March 31. SI Bend is in partnership with the Deschutes County Department of Human Services who distributes the items to local families in need of clothing and basic baby care supplies. The 2015 Community Baby Shower collected over 1600 donated items with an estimated value of $15K.

SI Bend is pleased to have the cooperation of local businesses which place a baby collection basket in their retail space for the general public to drop off donated items such as new or gently used baby clothing, diapers, unwrapped clothing, blankets, hygiene items, bottles and pacifiers. These baskets cannot accept large items such as a used car seat. Business locations of the Baby Baskets are – C.E. Lovejoy’s Brookswood Market, Hopscotch Kids, QuiltWorks, WillowBerry@Rivals and BJ’s Quilt Basket

SI Bend is very grateful for the beautifully handcrafted items donated by residents of local residential homes. Handmade items include knitted blankets, booties, hats and sweaters to baby sized quilts and more. Participating area residences include: Aspen Ridge, Prestige High Desert, Stone Lodge, Touchmark and Whispering Winds.

For details, please contact the Soroptimist member co-chairs Judy McLeary at 541-678-5203 and/or Susie Fagen-Wirges 541-388-2604.