WestSide Baby ‘offering more volunteer opportunities than ever’

| How to help | West Seattle news

They help thousands of local families … but they can’t do it without help from you … and tonight, WestSide Baby has a new call for volunteers “ages 8-108”:

Come Volunteer at WestSide Baby – Our Community’s Children Need You More Than Ever!

WestSide Baby is increasing our Volunteer hours and we need your help! The need is growing and our ability to respond to that is also growing. We are offering more volunteer opportunities than ever before and we hope you will consider helping out, either regularly or by dropping in when it’s convenient for you.

You can tailor your volunteering to meet your schedule: once a week, once a month, several times a year, or more! WSB has monthly evening, weekend and daytime shifts. Check out the schedule on our WSB Volunteers page. WSB can also schedule special times for groups of 10-20 volunteers.

Onsite volunteers sort donations, fill orders, package diapers, check equipment and toys, and dismantle unusable car seats. Take-home jobs include laundry, mending clothing, pick up and drop off of items. We especially need committed regular volunteers for toys, donation collection (van or truck required) and car seat/equipment checking. Anyone ages 8-108 can volunteer. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult and youth 14-18 can volunteer on their own, with signed consent form.

To start volunteering, please go to http://www.westsidebaby.org/default/volunteer and fill out the volunteer application. Or contact Maria Groen, Outreach/Operations Manager at WestSide Baby, maria@westsidebaby.org, (206) 767-1662.

Maria also notes that “… our first “First Tuesday Frenzy” 5:30-7:30 pm volunteer time at WestSide Baby will be on June 5th, 10027 14th Ave SW.”

Nichole May 31, 2012 (10:12 pm)

I know the flames are coming for this but so wished wsb did volunteer cloth diaper service. I think its amazing the amount of disposable diapers they get donated and distribute every year but can’t help but think about the landfill impact.

WSB June 1, 2012 (12:30 am)

Nichole – it’s explained on their website somewhere.

thistle stair June 1, 2012 (7:50 am)

I applaud the wonderful work they do, good job! I hope every parent that comes in gets information on family planning services that are available to low income folks because a dollar worth of prevention is worth a quarter million in cost.

westcoastdeb June 1, 2012 (8:31 am)

Found the answer re:why no cloth:

“Why not cloth diapers?

Most daycare centers require the use of disposable diapers for children, and most clinical settings, like crisis shelters, use disposable diapers for a combination of ease and sanitation.

Washing cloth diapers can be a burden on low income families who have to travel to the laundromat after work, often with children in tow.”

http://www.westsidebaby.org/programs-and-services/diaper-bank

Nancy@ WestSide Baby June 1, 2012 (3:52 pm)

@ Nichole – Great idea! We’d love to be able to support cloth or other more-environmental options as well. Thank you to westcoastdeb for pulling from our website. It’s a quandry but, for now, we focus on the bottoms.
@ Thistle Stair – Thank you!! We provide items through 90 social service agencies rather than doing direct service. We aren’t the experts on the myriad of issues families in crisis are facing but value the judgment of all those partners as they provide support and advice to their clients to make life-changing decisions.
Someone once said to me – “Babies are too little to fight the battles about their bottoms.” WestSide Baby provides for local children in need regardless of where they came from or how they got here. Simple rather than controversial, I hope.

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