Love Thy Baby focuses on meeting the needs of infants who are born into health or economic crisis.
Volunteers make and collect warm blankets and clothing for newborn babies who are born premature, sick or into poverty, and the items are then distributed through North Texas hospitals and agencies:
- Parkland Hospital
- John Peter Smith Hospital
- PediPlace
- Nexus
- Family Place
- Sharing Life
- Hope for Refugees
- White Rock Center of Hope
VOLUNTEERING
LTB volunteers sew, quilt, knit and crochet quilts, blankets, clothes, hats, booties, and other baby items. Many of our volunteers work from home, others attend workdays and meetings where they work together. New volunteers have the opportunity to enhance or learn these valuable skills. For those who are not interested in sewing, knitting or crocheting, we also need volunteers to iron, cut squares and patterns, tear flannel, and sort and count donations.
Visit one of our weekly workdays or one of our monthly meetings to get involved!
Between them, Parkland Health & Hospital System and John Peter Smith Hospitals deliver more than 18,000 babies a year. Statistics show that 85% of these infants are born in need.
Most parents are the working poor of our community. Our goal is to provide each baby in need with a blanket or quilt, a shirt, a hat, and a pair of socks or booties. Deliveries are made every month in an effort to meet the needs throughout the year.
Each year, hundreds of babies are admitted for care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Using custom patterns, we make and donate soft shirts, hats, and other items for these tiny babies.
The most heartbreaking need we must provide for is the burial layettes for the babies who lose their fight for life. Special volunteers dedicate their time and skills to create beautiful gowns and accessories to ease the trauma of the families of these infants.
YOU CAN HELP!
Donations are generously provided by volunteers, individuals, and organizations who give their time, talents, money, supplies and baby items. We are challenged each month to meet the growing needs. We would love for you to join our efforts. There are many ways you can help.
- Use your sewing, quilting, knitting, and crocheting talents to make clothing, blankets, and more at our work meetings or work from home. You can also contribute at the work meetings by cutting, ironing, designing and sorting.
- Learn to sew, quilt, knit or crochet from our experienced volunteers using tried and true patterns for free at a meeting.
- Purchase new items from our wish list (Clean, gently used newborn clothing may also be donated, but our primary need for the hospitals is new items.)
- Involve your business, school, church or other community organization by coordinating a baby shower or a sock or clothing drive.
- Make a much needed financial donation to help with the purchase of fabric, quilt batting, yarn, and sewing supplies. We can leverage your gift to make much more than money can buy at retail stores!
WISHLIST
Love Thy Baby believes that all babies deserve to be clothed and snuggled in a warm blanket. Help us by donating:
Clothing & Blankets
♥ Onesies or t-shirts (newborn and 0-3 mo.)
♥ Socks or booties (newborn – 6 months)
♥ Sleepers, gowns, and pajamas (newborn and 0-3 months & YES we can store off season!)
♥ Receiving blankets, afghans, fleece blankets
♥ Quilts (36” x 42” preferred)
Materials to make blankets and clothing:
♥ Fabric: 100% cotton quilting fabric, flannel, cotton knits, fleece and quilt tops and panels
♥ Thread: Serger and general purpose polyester sewing thread in white, neutral, and pastel colors
♥ Quilt batting: Cotton or 80/20 blends
♥ Baby appropriate soft yarns in sport weight or light worsted (No wool due to allergies)
Other:
♥ 3-ply and 4-ply yarn
♥ Gift cards to stores where these items may be purchased
♥ Cash donations
The Parkland team had challenged us to help by delivering more warm blankets in 2014 and our volunteers executed on the challenge. We delivered a record number of 2,439 quilts during the year and broke our monthly record twice, first in October when we delivered 240 quilts in one month, and again in December when we delivered 295 quilts in a single month! With our growth in fundraising, we were able to start purchasing fleece on a regular basis to make more fleece blankets. With our growth in volunteers, we delivered stellar results across the board on the handmade items that are the primary work of our organization.
Given the significant number of babies born at Parkland each month, they are our primary focus for distributing the items we make and collect, but with our growth in 2014, we were also able to donate items to JPS as well as increase our donations to the agencies that we work with in East Dallas.
We are very grateful for organizations like the Coppell KnitWits, Coppell Women’s Club, Farmer’s Branch Women’s Club, and so many other local groups who continue to support our efforts year on year!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For questions or additional information regarding LTB, visit our Blog at http://lovethybaby.blogspot.com/ or email us at lovethybaby@ltnlovethyneighbor.org
Love Thy Baby focuses on meeting the needs of infants who are born into health or economic crisis.