MADISON — “We weren’t planning to move,” said Brenda Collins, executive director of Babies and Beyond of Wisconsin. “The space became available, so we figured ‘Let’s jump on it now while we have this opportunity.’”
Collins said these words to Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison who had come to their new facility on June 20 for a tour and to offer a blessing. The facility, which Babies and Beyond moved into in late January, is in the same complex as the facility they moved into two years ago. The bishop had blessed that one as well previously and joked that they must have created a human chain when they moved into the new facility.
Collins said that wasn’t far from the truth.
“We had about 40 to 50 volunteers that day,” she said. “We got it done in [about] three hours.”
The bishop commented that between the large sign out front and staying in the same facility, this helps clients to find them.
The new larger facility is double the size of the previous one and offers a much more expansive entry and shopping area, a toy room where kids can play while their parents “shop,” and a larger warehouse area. There is also a small conference room where staff and volunteers can conduct classes, and a closet full of maternity clothes.
The organization offers items including clothing, diapers, formula, nursing supplies, and maternity clothes for free to clients in need. They have clothing for young babies and toddlers, and they give away about 40,000 diapers each month.
Reason for the move
“After the rebrand [last summer when they changed their name from Pregnancy Helpline of Madison to Babies and Beyond of Wisconsin], we saw a dramatic increase in the number of clients we were serving,” said Collins.
She said that a year ago, they were been serving about 500 babies a month. They are now serving about 900 babies a month. Hence when the larger space became available, Collins jumped at the opportunity to move.
However, as she told the bishop, “The need is definitely out there. We didn’t budget for that much of an increase, so that threw us for a little bit of a loop.”
Between the increased demand on resources offered by Babies and Beyond and the larger facility, Collins said there is an increased need for donations “both materially and financially. To operate at this scale means we need support, and we also need support in the way of volunteers. There are a lot more roles that need to be filled because everything is on a bigger scale.”
Collins emphasized that donations do not have to be just baby, toddler, and maternity items anymore.
“We’re doing textile recycling now,” said Collins. “So anything we find that is ripped, stained, broken, or anything that we can’t give out to clients here, we’re recycling. It’s a new fundraiser for us. We’re getting paid to recycle those materials, but because we’re recycling those items, we’ve opened it up to recycle any textiles. So, if anybody has got clothes that wouldn’t resell or be usable to people, we would take that.”
Before blessing the facility, Bishop Hying asked Collins about the need and offered the organization a donation from the diocese’s Mercy Fund.
“The thing they always hurl at pro-life people is that we only care about children in the womb, then we don’t do anything post birth,” said the bishop. “I mean, obviously, this is part of that great effort.”
Collins agreed, “We’re here, yes! And it’s a long term support when you think about it.”
She stressed how Babies and Beyond offers supplies from sizes preemie all the way to 5T. They also work together with other organizations that support families in need.
“We’ve got a good binder of over 150 different resources within this area,” said Collins. “We work really closely with the hospitals, the clinics, WIC, Women’s Care Center, and Care Net too.”
She also mentioned working closely with Walking with Moms in Need.
After the tour and short conversation, Bishop Hying read from Scripture, offered a prayer, and blessed the facility.
How you can help
Collins stressed to the bishop, “It’s so much more than just a diaper that we’re providing. It’s the relief of some of that stress. Parents will tell us that it’s a whole different type of stress that you’re dealing with when you know you can’t provide some of those basic materials for your child. So to relieve some of that so that they can focus on being good parents, it makes a world of a difference.”
When asked what she’d say to someone interested in volunteering, she said, “It’s a great way to get involved. It’s really easy to learn, and it’s a lot of fun. We make it easy and laid back. You get to meet all sorts of different people. There’s something here for everyone.”
Visit babiesandbeyondwi.org to learn more about what they offer and how you can help.