Among the many worthy causes in the southeast is a thriving ministry called Baby Layette Love. Founded in 2011 by Ruth Bergen, it is currently codirected by Niverville locals Jean Harms and Lorna Muir.
What is a “baby layette”? Essentially, it’s a baby shower in a bag, providing mothers who have little or nothing with 50 items for their newborns. Recipients must be referred by an agency such as the Crisis Pregnancy Centre or known personally to the directors. The objective is to provide support for new mothers and collect donations of gently used clothing and blankets. These 50 items range from soothers, burp cloths, bibs, face cloths, hooded towels, stuffed toys, and onesies to knitted sweater sets and cards of encouragement.
The original goal of Baby Layette Love was to produce 12 layettes every six weeks. That has since burgeoned to 30 layettes every four weeks. For the last two years, the ministry has averaged 265 layettes per year. As 100 layettes have already been distributed in 2017, a total of 300 is foreseeable and represents a staggering number of items—1,200 onesies, 1,200 sleepers, 1,500 blankets, etc.
To meet this demand, Jean Harms scours the network of local online buy-and-sells to purchase newborn clothing and items—by lots, when possible. Donations are received in bins located at two churches in Niverville, Maranatha Church and the Niverville Community Fellowship, both of which also provide storage space.
Baby Layette Love operates fundraisers such as spring and fall Layette Sundays at Maranatha. These feature a guest speaker and involvement by the congregation through offerings, sponsorship, and commitments to purchase specific items urgently needed.
Many other people help keep the ministry afloat. Maranatha also hosts the Snack Shack at the Olde Tyme Country Fair in June, sharing half of the proceeds with Baby Layette Love. A contact in Mitchell scours the Steinbach MCC Thrift Store for blankets and hooded towels as they appear. Steinbach’s Southeast Helping Hands donates extra formula and diapers. For the third year in a row, St. Timothy Parish in St. Vital is contributing vans of brand new products specifically collected for Baby Layette Love. The Word of Life Church Sunday School department recently donated $500 to purchase hooded towels and diapers. Harms collects donations from many locations, including in Steinbach and Winnipeg. Last fall, Southland Church in Steinbach offered the opportunity to collect items at their free Saturday giveaway day. Finally, when inventory and funds run low, items not essential to the layettes are given to an online consignment consultant. One recent consignment netted $350.
Volunteers play a huge role, with several local women sewing thousands of bibs and burp cloths. One volunteer, a passionate knitter, creates sweaters, booties, and bonnet sets for each layette. Another faithful volunteer has provided all the toys and stuffies for the past five years. The layettes are assembled on Tuesdays and Wednesdays by volunteers ranging from 12 years of age and up.
The ministry partners with many others to disperse the layettes. The Crisis Pregnancy Centre provides ongoing programs and support to clients for two years. Others include the Union Gospel Mission Women’s Shelter, local foster parents, the Canadian Muslim Women’s Institute, Schroeder Freight, and Family First. Family First is a program of nurses who conduct home visitations of expectant and new mothers.
“Absolutely nothing gets wasted,” says Harms. “What comes in goes out, even down to boxes and bags being recycled to meet local needs.”
There are three important ways that people can support Baby Layette Love: either by volunteering in person, donating goods, or offering financial support via Maranatha.
What lies ahead? Baby Layette Love has already fully merged with Niverville-based Baby Blessings and has expanded its service to eligible clients by providing larger items, such as cribs, high chairs, bassinets, play pens, floor play mats, diaper bags, strollers, car seats, and baby carriers.
Harms dreams of sending layettes to nursing stations, or other suitable outlets, in the north. She also hopes to reach out to churches across Canada to inspire them to establish similar ministries in their regions.
Of the hours spent and miles travelled, Harms just smiles. “It is an honour to be able to serve the least of these! There is an unbelievable demand that continues to grow. Women are so grateful and gracious when we visit them. It has always been a privilege.”
