Layette Kits for Newborns in Need
Ocracoke's UMW ladies met today to assemble Layette Kits that will go to mamas and babies all over the world. I stopped by to take some pictures and ask them about their kits. Being a sucker for tiny, adorable, animal-print, gender-neutral baby clothes, I squealed and exclaimed over the little onesies and the little rompers and especially the little handmade sweaters. The ladies even let me wrap a couple of kits. Each layette kit includes 6 cloth diapers, 2 onesies, 2 rompers, 2 baby washcloths, 2 flannel receiving blankets, and one hand-crocheted sweater. The kits are held together with 2 diaper pins. It's cuteness overload.
According the World Health Organization, keeping newborns warm enough to be healthy is a concern even in tropical climates. The smaller and sicker the baby, the more important swaddling the little burrito becomes. Warm receiving blankets are a necessity for all babies; some mothers, even those giving birth in hospitals, don't have access to what their babies need.
Enter the UMW. The layette kits they assembled today were boxed and mailed to UMCOR, the United Methodist Center on Relief. From there they go all over the world wherever there's need.
The UMW purchases the supplies for the layette kits with money they make from their bake sales and other fundraisers. To prepare for today, Leslie Gilbert did all the buying, and Kay Riddick did the unpacking. Today at the church Rec Hall, the crew of five (Agnes Garrish, Kay Riddick, Pam Midgett, Jen Esham, and Berry Collier) created an assembly line of cuteness to get all fifty bundles made. The ladies also mailed a $50 check ($1 for each kit) to offset shipping costs for UMCOR when they send the kits out into the world.
This was the 4th time the UMW has assembled layette kits. I think I talked them into letting me and my Girl Scout troop help next time around.
