Giving Newborns the Gift of a Good Start

In everything we do we always hope to get off to a good start. Jobs, school, relationships, classes, hobbies–we want to make a good first impression and set the stage for continued success. But what if your first impression of the world in which we live was cold and desolate, dangerous and desperate? What if your start in this world, through no fault of your own, was so traumatic that it only set you up for more struggle and chaos?

When my world is in chaos I call on my angels, the ones I know and the ones I cannot see, who guide or give without judgment. And when my world regains some level of peace I find how easy it is for me to try and be an angel for someone else.

This month the in Sierra Madre is giving all of the families in the community who are blessed with stability to be angels for struggling, at-risk mothers and their newborn children who are just trying to make a good start in the world.

Through November 12 the Church is accepting donations of gently used newborn and baby supplies that will be distributed to mothers in need at LAC+USC Medical Center and other hospitals in the San Gabriel Valley. The effort is targeted on collecting supplies for children up to 1 year old. Needed supplies include gently used clothing, strollers, bassinets, bouncers, and bottles as well as baby hygiene supplies like shampoo, body wash, and disposable diapers. They cannot accept toys or baby powder.

The drive is part of Ascension’s Outreach program which calls for the Church to work for the relief of the poor, the sick, and the powerless. This year, Ascension’s Outreach Coordinator, Anna Thomas, has forged a new partnership with the Angel Interfaith Network, an organization that connects local churches, businesses and other civic groups with patients and families in need at local hospitals. Throughout the year Ascension takes on other Outreach projects like contributing to the Friends in Deed Food Bank in Pasadena or building Hygiene Kits for the homeless.

To a mother without a support system or a reliable source of income these gifts can make a world of difference. A gift of items like these which are hard to find elsewhere can relieve some of the fear and worry. It can make things a little easier so they can keep building toward a future. And for the babies it can mean a good start that is safer, warmer, healthier, and happier with less struggle and chaos and more peace and room to grow. And it gives everyone the proof they need to believe in angels.