Bounty for Babies Forever

 A justice project of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ellsworth (UUCE)

In December 2019, after learning that families who needed food and supplies for babies were having to be turned away from the Loaves & Fishes food pantry due to inability to stock these products, UUCE launched a very successful Reverse Advent justice project in which the congregation was asked to donate specific foods and supplies for babies daily during Advent. The items were donated to Loaves & Fishes food pantry, and distributed as needed to the families served by the pantry. This project was a big success, and generated over $2000 in cash and goods.  Our church has committed to continuing the project into perpetuity by asking congregants for weekly donations as baby items get used from the Loaves & Fishes stock. Our goal is to ensure that no family goes without obtaining the needed food, diapers and health care supplies for their babies.  This project is run under the auspices of our Peace and Social Action committee and is managed by the Bounty for Babies Task Force.

Although the project has only been in existence for two months, we have already made a huge difference in the lives of families in our community.  Since its inception, no one has had to be denied items they need for their babies.  The program serves over 30 families each month and, at the request of the families served, has been expanded to include food and supplies for toddlers.  Additionally, we provide Birthday Bags, which contain a small toy and the supplies needed to bake a birthday cake, to parents of children of any age.

To date, this project has been fully funded by UUCE.  A very generous anonymous donor has now come forward with a proposal to match up to $5000 in donated funds to support the Bounty for Babies project, and to form the basis through which it can be sustained.

Please support us as we strive to raise the matching funds so that we can carry this project far into the future.  In honor of this donation, and with the hope and expectation that we will reach our goal to match the funds, we are renaming the project Bounty for Babies Forever.