B.C. charity that supports low-income families with infant supplies facing ‘alarming’ shortage – BC | Canadian

Lilian Santos was 32 weeks pregnant when she and her husband Eduardo arrived in Vancouver from São Paulo, Brazil, in January.

The couple had work lined up, but Lilian delivered baby Claire one week before their provincial Medical Services Plan coverage kicked in, leaving them with a $ 15,000 bill for her labour.

That’s when they discovered BabyGoRound, a charity that supports low-income families in the Lower Mainland with all the supplies needed to raise an infant up to two years of age. It allowed the pair to focus on paying the medical bill, preparing the home for Claire’s arrival and obtaining post-partum care.

“For newcomers, it’s pretty hard to get some help, especially because you don’t know how the city works,” said Eduardo. “I cannot imagine what our life was without BabyGoRound assistance in our life.”

BabyGoRound, however, is now facing what its executive director describes as an “alarming shortage” in supplies, both new and donated. As of Wednesday night, Lisa Brooks said the non-profit is “completely out” of almost everything.

Four families that have appointments with the organization on Thursday, she added, will soon learn they won’t get the bassinets they requested.

“We are being forced right now to limit the number of appointments that we can schedule for families,” Brooks told Global News. “It’s really an urgent need that we have right now to be able to collect more donations for families.”

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BabyGoRound supports many newcomer families, single parents, women fleeing domestic violence and teen parents, referred to the organization from more than 95 organizations, said Brooks.

She suspects the shortages the charity is experiencing are connected to inflation, supply chain shortages, and more and more people selling their items online on platforms like Facebook.

“When we were first established those options didn’t exist. I just think it’s that public behaviour is changing and we have to really get our name out there,” she explained.

“Then we’ve seen a really dramatic increase who are new to Canada who are coming to see us. What that means is they don’t have an established network of friends and families who can help them secure the items.”

BabyGoRound needs breast pumps, bassinets, toys, blankets, clothes, new car seats, and more.

Eduardo said he’s “pretty sad” to know that other families may not have access to the same kind of support he and Lilian received as a result of the shortages.

Information on how to donate to BabyGoRound is available on the organization’s website.