Send Some Fluffy Love to Oklahoma Mamas

Showers of Hope has a Diaper Drive!

by Amy Newsome, guest blogger

In Alabama we're all too familiar with tornadoes and their aftermath. I remember the too-warm-for-November day in 1989 when the sky turned green and the surreal weeks that followed, staring at the damage and debris through the window of my parents' car as traffic crawled down Memorial Parkway. The school where I'd attended first grade had been reduced to rubble. My aunt and cousins were at the intersection of Whitesburg and Airport Road, but by the grace of God were relatively unharmed. The sky turned green again in 2011 and funnels of wind traced paths of destruction across our state, part of the largest tornado outbreak ever recorded. I listened to the radio, hearing accounts of the damage in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and - closer to home - in Arab and Harvest. Due to a week without electricity I lost some groceries. Too many others in our community lost everything.

Monday afternoon I logged into FaceBook and my breath caught in my throat as I started to read. It had all happened again, this time in Oklahoma. I'll be honest, with my seven-month-old to care for I haven't had the emotional fortitude to follow the news coverage, but I've been very thankful to learn of a specific need in the area that I can help meet.

Three organizations - Shower of Hope Oklahoma, Fluffy Bums of Tulsa and The Greater Tulsa Area Great Cloth Diaper Change - are organizing a supply drive for families in Moore who lost their homes in the tornado. They're collecting disposable and cloth diapers, wipes, diaper creams and other baby/toddler items (pacifiers, teethers, baby food, toddler snacks, infant formula, bottles, et cetera). Gently used, functional cloth diapers of all varieties (fitteds with covers, flats/pre-folds with covers, pocket diapers and inserts, AIO and AI2 diapers) and accessories/fasteners such as Snappis or Boingos are needed and will be greatly appreciated. New-in-package and loose disposable diapers are also welcome - every diaper will make a difference.

There will be a collection point for diapers and other childcare supplies at A Nurturing Moment through May 31st, at which point we hope to send a gigantic care package to the families affected by this tragedy. Monetary donations toward the shipping cost will be accepted through The MOM Foundation.

Donations and care packages can also be mailed directly to:

BJ Lardizabal/Shower of Hope Oklahoma

C/O McGraw Realtors

308 N. Aspen

Broken Arrow, OK 74012

Additionally, Shower of Hope Oklahoma has established an Amazon.com Wish List from which you can have items shipped directly to them

Thankfulness Leads to Giving!

We have a lot to be thankful for this year at A Nurturing Moment. Last year at this time we wouldn't have been able to imagine that we would be where we are now! We've expanded in so many ways - more space, more employees, more products and more opportunities to help moms and babies.

You may have heard us talk about our sister non-profit organization, the MOM Foundation (formerly Moms Nurturing Moms). We are so thankful for the opportunity we've been given to partner with Huntsville Housing Authority and look for ways to encourage low-income moms. Statistics show that in our country women with more education and a higher income are more likely to breastfeed. Sadly, many of the women we will be working with have never been exposed to breastfeeding. Because they can receive free infant formula from the WIC program, many of them are not willing to even consider breastfeeding.

Baby Day at Mason Court
Our goal is to get to know many of the moms there, earn their trust, and meet as many of their needs as we can. On December 5 we will have a Baby Day at Mason Court where we'll have lots of things going on for moms and babies. One thing we would like to be able to do is provide free gently used infant and toddler clothing to the moms who attend.

Bosom Buddies Program
We also have another program in place to help low-income moms, the Bosom Buddies program. Mothers who receive WIC assistance are eligible to receive 2 gently used nursing bras every 6 months as long as they're breastfeeding. We've been giving out a lot of bras lately, so our supply is running low in several sizes. This evening a precious young mom could only find one bra that worked for her. When that happens, we give them a discount if they decide to purchase another one.

We Need YOU!
We really want to continue and even expand our programs, be we are really dependent upon you! Here's how you can help...and how we will say THANK YOU for giving!

• Bring in gently used clean infant and toddler clothing between now and Dec. 3 for Baby Day at Mason Court. Recieve a 10% discount on your purchase.
• Bring in gently used clean nursing bras (the size must be visible). Receive 5% for one bra, 10% off for 2 and 15% off for 3 or more.

Unfortunately, we can't combine these discounts with other promotions, but we will always give you the best promotion you qualify for when several promotions are available!

Thank You!
Thank you so much for being part of the ANM family and helping us reach out to as many mothers as we can in the Tennessee Valley! We appreciate you so much! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family, and leave us a note telling us what you're thankful for this year!