Eastside Baby Corner
June 29th, 2010 | By: Fred Nystrom
There should not be children who are cold or hungry…
Helping children and parents was the dream of pediatric nurse practitioner Karen Ridlon back in 1990, when she observed the desperate needs of mothers with young children as they tried to stabilize their family following some upheaval—perhaps a divorce, the death of the prime breadwinner, or the aftermath of escaping from domestic violence. Whatever the reason, most of these struggling families were at their wit’s end and financially strapped. At first Ridlon began to collect and store clothing, cribs, and other supplies in her dining room. Her intent was to give the things she collected to these needy families so that the little money they had could be spent for food, rent, or educational training.
Helen Banks Routon, Director of Development and Community Relations
As Ridlon says in her very low-key but determined way, “Here, where we are so blessed, there should not be children who are cold or hungry or without a dry diaper. There should not be children, here on the Eastside, who can’t go out for recess because they have no coat or because they are wearing shoes that are several sizes too small for their feet.”
Quickly running out of storage space in her home for the collected items, Ridlon took the bold step of making an appointment with local businessman and property owner Skip Rowley. The aftermath of that meeting is that, for the past 20 years, Rowley and his daughter Kari have been providing rent-free space for the rapidly growing nonprofit. The Rowley’s have also been instrumental in helping Ridlon and her volunteer staff in developing a strategic growth plan for the organization now known as Eastside Baby Corner (EBC).
During the past 20 years, EBC has become the “largest organization of its kind that you have never heard about,” says Helen Banks Routon, its director of development and community relations. “We specialize in serving the needs of children from birth up to age 12 with clothing, toys, school supplies, diapers, and formula. We collect donations or purchase these items. Over 120 family-assistance partners, such as food banks and social service agencies like Encompass and Hopelink, order what they need for the families they are helping. We serve a large area, from Renton to Bothell and east to the Cascades. Almost all of the clothing and baby furnishing are donated and lovingly used. The rest we go out and purchase. As an example, we buy almost $8,000 in diapers each month.”
It should be no surprise that requests for children’s items went up by 14 percent last year and there is a waiting list of 28 agencies and food banks that want to be partners with EBC but cannot be served until more funds are available.
When asked what they are in special need of, Ridlon is quick to point out that clothes and shoes for school-age kids—especially sizes 4 through 14—are needed throughout the year, and most critical are boys’ pants in size 5 and up. Formula and diapers are especially needed. Because diapers are not covered by food stamps or WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children), the cost of diapering a baby stresses a family’s finances. With dental health a pressing need for families, donations of new toothbrushes, toothpaste, and flossing supplies are also appreciated.
During the week, donations are received from individual families, faith-based communities, and service organizations in the Rowley Center. Volunteers sort the donations and label the clothing. Strollers, cribs, bicycles, and car seats are sent to the repair shop to check for recalls and to make certain they are in working order. Next the items are stored by type. The food banks and social-service partners then are able to send in their wish list of items they hope to receive. Agencies are limited to 20 items a week. Each order is bagged by the volunteers, and a toy is always included as a little surprise gift for a child. The staff really enjoys the special “birthday bag” orders, because they can select a variety of items just for that child, knowing that in most cases these will be the only birthday gifts that child will receive. On Thursday morning the scene is bedlam as the agencies show up to happily collect their orders. Once the last van or truck departs, the process starts all over again.
EBC also needs financial donations. The cost of providing formula for medically fragile children is surprising: A three-day supply costs $27. Local service clubs, such as the Kiwanis and Rotary, are trying to help address these financial needs. Last year, the Issaquah Kiwanis made EBC a beneficiary of their 2009 auction and provided a $16,000 donation. The Rotary Club of Issaquah just paid to upgrade EBC’s ancient computer and phone systems so staff can communicate with each other throughout the building and have a centralized way to receive calls, all lacking until now.
EBC is an ideal place for volunteering. It is also one of the few places where an entire family can come and volunteer together. Students who want to perform community service hours are also welcome.
One suggestion for parents with children: Arrange a time to bring them down to EBC to see just how valued their old toys, dolls, bikes, and school supplies will be if they are donated instead of being stored at home. We did this with our daughter Makenna, and she came home to begin cleaning out items she had kept for years, knowing that some child would soon be loving her old doll as much as she once had.
No matter how you choose to become involved with Eastside Baby Corner, you will light up the day for a child.
For additional information, visit babycorner.org or call 425.865.0234.
