December always brings the annual holiday event for Baby2Baby, one of the leading non-profit organizations providing essential items to children and families in need across the country—and now one of the leading non-profit organizations providing COVID-19 relief. Deemed an essential business by the state of California in March, Baby2Baby has been able to push forward with their efforts, and transformed their annual event into a Holiday Drive-Thru distribution with the help of their key event sponsor FRAME. The distribution, which took place at their headquarters in Los Angeles on Sunday, was focused on children, providing them with a range of toys, goodies, and some time with Santa. But parents were also given some essentials, including diapers, warm jackets, blankets, soap, shampoo, groceries and masks.
“When you can give a child the toys they are wishing for – we were able to make those smiles happen, not only for the kids but for the parents,” said Kelly Sawyer Patricof, who with Norah Weinstein is co-president of Baby2Baby. “To see and know that an item like a pack of diapers can really make a difference in the lives of a family, is what Baby2Baby is all about.”
With its Los Angeles roots, Baby2Baby has strong support in Hollywood, with supporters including Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Drew Barrymore, Nicole Richie, and Kelly Rowland to name a few. “As a mom, I know how hard it is to raise a child and be healthy mentally and to try to navigate even when you have all the resources,” Alba, a Baby2Baby board member and brand ambassador, said. “During this pandemic, so many families have really found themselves in terrible situations like joblessness and homelessness. They are trying to keep a roof over their heads and can’t provide food or clean diapers on a regular basis – that is what Baby2Baby is here for.”
According to Weinstein, the need for diapers this year went up 350%, and the need for formula went up eightfold. There were five times as many children and families requesting items from the organization. “We had no option to slow down, there was only speeding up—the need was growing exponentially from one day to another,” said Weinstein “We were forced to pivot like so many other creative businesses around the world, and we took whatever steps were needed to make it happen.”
Nearly 1 million children in 100 cities have been helped this year by the Baby2Baby National Network, a partnership between the organization and like-minded groups already working in their cities and communities. When emergencies like natural disasters, food shortages or a pandemic happens, they are able to have people on the ground in a range of different cities across the country, and plan to keep doing so.
“Even when a vaccine arrives and people recover, the families in poverty are going to be dealing with the challenges and aftermath of COVID for years to come – it is incumbent upon us to start thinking about a very long term recovery period,” Weinstein said. “We will be there for the next few years to work alongside these families.”
Alba’s The Honest Company has also partnered with Baby2Baby, and has provided and delivered over 3.5 million items this year alone. “Every day, we [Baby2Baby and The Honest Company] are committed to helping families living in poverty and who are in unfortunate circumstances,” Alba said. “That is really the basis of Baby2Baby.”
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