An idea that came to life in 1984 makes stops in Watonga, creating an easier life for families and their littles.
A Westminster Presbyterian Church Sunday school class was looking for a project. Most of the church members had families and knew how expensive it could be to bring up a baby. So the class members and church began collecting the things babies need most, diapers and formula.
The project grew into a mission, housed in a spare room in the church building until 2006, when Baby Mobile moved into a building off Lincoln Avenue in Oklahoma City. That building has 36,000 square feet, much of it used as warehouse space. That’s a lot of Huggies.
Lisa Perry, the senior devlopement manager of Infant Crisis Services – the full name for Baby Mobile – was a member of that Sunday school class and spoke recently at the Watonga Kiwanis Club, outlining the mission and services offered by the organization.
Clients can receive services up to four times a year from the time the baby is born until its fourth birthday. The items offered to the children change as their needs change. A newborn might get a package with 50 diapers, diaper wipes, two cans of formula and a bottle. If a child requires soy formula it is usually on hand, and other specialty formulas can be ordered. A six-month-old would get fewer diapers, perhaps, but the formula ration remains the same, in each instance providing about a week’s worth of care. Babies who are breast fed are also eligible to receive diapers and wipes. The estimated cost of that week is $55, but Infant Crisis Services will expend about $7,800 in services to Watonga this year.
The only requirement is that the baby be inside the age range and need assistance. Adoptive parents, grandparents or other family members caring for the child, social workers or foster parents are able to ask for assistance. So far this year, there have been 141 children helped by the program. Because the program is privately funded – no tax dollars are received – there is no paperwork required.
As a child gets older, Perry said, they may move up to a toddler’s food pack, which contains a sippy cup, cereal, pasta and sauce, a loaf of bread and canned fruits and vegetables. Hopes are to add fresh fruits and vegetables soon.
The Baby Mobile parks at the Blaine County Health Department from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with the next visit set for July 12.
There are other items and services available at the main location in Oklahoma City, but the staff knows not everyone can travel there for the necessities.
Those items include breast pumps, baby car seats and clothing. Much of the inventory comes new from an unlikely source. “We have an amazing partnership with Amazon distribution,” Perry said. New, unopened items that have been returned are often donated to the Infant Crisis Center. Another huge sponsor has been the Chickasaw Nation.
The program is growing more quickly than the founders had imagined.
“We looked at surrounding communities that needed help. We went to Moore, then others. Then we began operating in communities that were a one hour drive away. Then a two hour drive,” Perry said. There are 49 locations in 29 counties with Baby Mobile stops. Three of those counties were added this year. Three more are on tap for early 2024, including Major County.
Part of Infant Crisis Service’s mission statement is to remove the transportation barrier many Oklahomans face. The diapers, food and formula are distributed at partner agencies across central Oklahoma.
“We want the community to know we’re here and we want to have a fruitful trip,” Perry added.
Plans to ramp up are in the works, but that all takes time, staff and vehicles.
“If people have a heart for this, they can support us by spreading the word, volunteering or holding a drive for donated items like formula, diapers, clothing and bedding. Or they can donate funds,” Perry said.
The people involved in Infant Crisis Services understand the work can be vital.
“At the end of the day, the baby is our client,” Perry said. “I can’t imagine a more important purpose than making sure Oklahomans have the food they need.”