COURTESY
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Health Care and Rehabilitation Services (HCRS), southeastern Vermont’s nonprofit community mental-health agency, has donated $500 to Springfield Area Parent Child Center (SAPCC) in support of the center’s Welcome Baby Bag program.
The program was created to encourage and to educate new mothers in Southern Windsor and Northern Windham counties about the resources available to them and their babies.
“We are pleased to be able to support the Welcome Baby Bag program, which celebrates the birth of a child in our communities and provides resources to help ensure the success of these new families,” said HCRS CEO George Karabakakis, Ph.D., according to a press release.
Celeste Marquise, playgroup facilitator, resource development, and Welcome Baby coordinator for the SAPCC, said, that a committee of seven representatives from the Ascutney, Bellows Falls, Londonderry, and Springfield areas meets quarterly to coordinate the Welcome Baby Bag program. The Committee reviews how the bags will be distributed, the number that are needed, as well as the contents. Currently, the bags contain a baby book, spoon and toothbrush; a donated handmade blanket, baby hat, and stuffed toy; a tool for checking if items are a choking hazard, a bottle of made-in-Vermont lotion, and a folder of local resources and supportive child development information.
The SAPCC has handed out more than 100 free Welcome Baby Bags so far this year. Parents or guardians of babies younger than 1 year old are encouraged to call SAPCC at (802) 886-5242 or email [email protected] if they would like a bag.
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