BABY FOOD COLLECTIONS

We see starving babies and children from third world countries on TV. We see the despair and pain in their eyes, and we think, “That’s so very far away.” We never believe that that kind of hunger exists in our own community. But it does.

The Samaritan Center Baby Food program provides emergency food for infants from birth through 12 months. The WIC program provides baby formula for infants; however foods, cereals and teething biscuits are left to the family to purchase. In the six counties served by the Samaritan Center, approximately 17% of the babies born each year are to families living in poverty and are at risk for poor nutrition.

The first year of life is pivotal to the lifelong development of a child.  Eighty percent of babies born to low-income families are bottle-fed, not nursed, often because the baby is cared for by someone other than its mother. Tragically, it’s during these formative years that we often see poor families forced to begin to eat sold food sooner than is recommended due to the high cost of baby food.

The Baby Food Collection program was created out of frustration at not being able to respond to repeated requests by our families for baby food.  We are dealing with families in crisis, but rarely do we acquire baby food through food drive collections and other sources. Through the Baby Food Collection program, we are able to baby food and diapers that are distributed to families in need.

Research shows that 10 percent of Missouri residents are hungry. One-fifth of Missouri’s children are born into poverty. Ultimately, our goal is to provide emergency baby food to needy families, approximately 15,684 people, living in our six-county service area. The Baby Food Collection Program addresses the overlooked emergency baby food needs not served by other programs.

• When:       Year Round
   

• Who:          For the infants in our client families 
   

• What:         Baby food
   

• Where:      Deliver to the Samaritan Center (side door) between 8:30 a.m. - 12:30p.m. and 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
   

• Why:          So needy infants will not have to go without the necessary nutrition to help fortify their little body’s growth.