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Welcome ... Newborns in Need, Inc. (NIN) is a 501(c)3 charity organized to take care of sick and needy babies and their families; and in cases of crisis, to help where help is needed. Volunteers across the country unite to help our neighbors in need. Whether you sew, knit, crochet, quilt, or just want to help, there is a place for you in our organization. Contact us to find out how you can help provide warm clothing, blankets and other essentials items to the babies in your own community. Even one sleeper or blanket can make a difference. The Florida Big Bend Chapter of Newborns In Need is currently focused on addressing the needs of the babies of Gadsden County. For the past three years, through a predecessor organization and now through Newborns In Need, we have been providing new and expectant mothers participating in the Gadsden County Healthy Start Program with portable bassinets through “The Moses Basket Project.” These Moses baskets provide a safe place for the newborn infant to sleep for families who may not be able to afford a bassinet, give added emphasis to the Healthy Start “Safe Sleep” instruction, and also are an incentive for other expectant mothers to participate in the Healthy Start Program, which provides many services to expectant and new mothers and their families. We also work with inmate volunteers at the Gadsden Correctional Facility, a women’s minimum/medium security prison, who make a number of the Moses baskets, as well as baby slings to carry babies and toddlers, and quilted diaper bags. The Moses basket is made using a sturdy laundry basket. We sew a fabric liner and a firm vinyl covered foam mattress which fits snugly in the basket. We also sew all the bedding for the Moses basket, including mattress pads, fitted sheets, a fleece blanket, and a matching quilt, along with "extras" like a bib, washcloths, receiving blankets, washable stuffed toys, and a tiny cross-stitched “pillow” with a ribbon loop to hang on the door to indicate the baby is asleep. Most of the “extras” are made from leftover fabric, batting, and foam from making the Moses basket bedding, as are the quilted diaper bags. When we are given fabric that is not suitable for use in the Moses baskets, we make baby slings, which are very popular with many of the Healthy Start Program mothers, especially those who breast feed their infants. We need volunteers of all skill levels to make the baby items (machine sewing, hand sewing, knitting, and crocheting). We need donations of materials and money to buy materials, and we also need assistance in getting our work publicized by stories in the local papers, and in finding a central location (possibly in Quincy) where we can hold a once-a-month community work meeting to make the baby items, and also to teach volunteers how to make the baby items so that they can work on them at home. We have available written instructions for all the items we make. We would love to have you join us in helping the babies! |
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