WOW where has 2024 gone?! There’s quite a bit of catching up to do. As you may know, Boxes of Love for Mom is a small operation with a big heart. There are many hands that make these donations possible, but at its core this project is driven by one small family. 2024 was a big year for self care, home projects, and family vacations. Boxes of Love for Mom crossed my mind many times – and at times was met with new emotions. Frustration and resentment that as a nation we do not do this for new mothers and their families (ex. paid parental leave). That the need is far greater than what any one individual can accomplish. That I’m giving up precious time attending to my family when this should be a collective, societal responsibility. Heavy, “too-much” type feelings.
Yet here we are, we press on, because Boxes of Love for Mom truly believes that small actions even over large expanses of time can make lasting change. And decades from now when we look back at these posts, we’ll see how much growth really did happen. One step, one day, one year at a time. Imagine what message we would send if every family donated even a single Box each year? I look at my yearly numbers and it’s easy to think that 15-20 Boxes of Love for Mom won’t make much difference. According to the United States Census Bureau, there are an estimated 337,324,803 people in the United States as of October 27, 2024; with 1 birth every 9 seconds. Obviously, a percentage of these individuals are children, but imagine if every one of us who was able pitched in and donated one box? That would add up very quickly!
Boxes of Love for Mom truly enjoyed delivering another 15 Boxes to the midwives at Cooley Dickinson Hospital to hand directly to families welcoming new babies. We would like to thank Michelle Morse and Jon Scully of the Development team as well as the maintenance staff for helping to make this delivery possible! It is so important to Boxes of Love for Mom that these gifts meet these families right where they are. We’d also like to thank family, friends, faith communities, and It Takes a Village for their generosity which makes these Boxes so much better!
So what will 2025 bring? Well, we hope good health and happiness to all! And more support for young families! This fall and winter we will be gearing up for another round of donations. We already have some in storage, but will need more support items to bring them up to our standards! So please visit our Amazon wish list and donate when you can!
We will gladly continue to accept donations of the following:
- any hand-made, knitted items (blankets, booties, hats, clothing, etc.)
- new bibs
- coffee/tea mugs
- boxes of crayons (24 ct.)
- small packages of diapers (32 ct. infant or size 1)
- new infant clothing items (shirts, pants, pajamas, etc.; gender neutral colors are preferred as it makes the boxes easier to pack & label)
- onesies
- granola bars (individual)
- jars of jelly (10 oz.)
- 1.41 oz. Lansinoh Lanolin Nipple Cream for Breastfeeding
- macaroni & cheese boxes
- mini cereal boxes
- composition notebooks
- jars of peanut butter (16 oz.)
- containers of playdough
- receiving blankets
- boxes of rice (small; ex. rice-a-roni)
- boxes of tea (ex. 20 ct.)
- individual containers of wipes (ex. 12 flip-top packages purchased in bulk & divided)
- chocolate
You can find these items and ship them directly to Boxes of Love for Mom, using: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/T957VG63T33H?ref_=wl_share .
Thank you! <3
