On Saturday, Sept 11th in collaboration with the Tuckaseegee Recreation Center, we held our annual Community Baby Shower. Through the generous contributions of the church members and some local business sponsors, we catered to nearly 70 pregnant women from our local community. Each registered woman received a gift basket (valued at $100) with essential baby items. Shower basket contents included a pack of diapers, wipes, digital thermometers, diaper ointments and creams, bathing items, clothing, hats and mittens, blankets, pacifiers, skincare, a board book and a copy of our daily devotional, Rhapsody of Realities (in both English & Spanish).
Opening the program, Pastor Famesha expressed to each woman the reason for the baby shower, which was to demonstrate the magnitude of God's love for them and their baby. Even though we had never met them before, God's love compelled us to reach out to them and their family. The mothers were reminded that their number one responsibility was to train the child up in God's word and help the child to discover God's purpose for their life. Looking at the life of Moses, Pastor Famesha expounded on his upbringing and his consciousness that he was going to help free his Hebrew brethren from slavery; a consciousness that only could have been instilled in him by his mother.
Afterwards, Ms. Valerie Stevens an OB/GYN Nurse Practitioner educated the women on what they could expect in their last trimester and things to look out for. She also told them to begin making the final preparations for their newest arrival and considerations about birth control. Breastfeeding was encouraged with references to the local county WIC office. Other medical professionals (Mrs. Ijeoma Ibie, a pharmacist and Mrs. Antionette N., a doctor) were also on site to provide relevant education and answer any questions the mothers had regarding their pregnancy.
Mecklenburg and Cabarrus County agencies provided information on resources available to assist mothers both during and post pregnancy on WIC programs as well as Domestic Violence resources.
In the spirit of a true baby shower, the mothers were treated to a catered lunch sponsored by local Olive Garden restaurants. Giveaways included a stroller, baby bath tub, bottle sterilizers, lullaby sound speakers, diaper bags, formula, diapers and much more. A bonus all the mothers enjoyed was the Maternity Photo booth.
We would like to thank all our local sponsors for their generous contributions:
Amazon (diapers), Olive Garden (lunch), HealthyBlue NC of BCBS (monetary and tote bags), WalMart, Costco, Compare Foods, Food Lion (gift cards), AllCare Medical Center (diapers and wipes) and Reveal Productions (photo booth).
