OCIN: What is BabyGoRound’s mission?

BGR: Mission: BabyGoRound supports under-resourced families across the Lower Mainland to thrive by providing essential baby gear so they can safely care for their babies and toddlers. 

Vision: Through a shared and connected community, all families in the Lower Mainland have the resources they need to provide a healthy, strong start for their children.

OCIN: Tell us about BabyGoRound’s program?

BGR: BabyGoRound is the only non-profit in British Columbia that is dedicated to providing under-resourced families with the items they need to safely care for their infants and toddlers. To remove access barriers to our services, we work with a well-established network of over 95 health and social service agencies in the city. The families who are referred to access our program have at least one of the following vulnerability factors (many have multiple vulnerability factors): families who are new to Canada, either as immigrants or refugees; those with a household income below $40,000; single parents – almost exclusively single mothers; mothers recovering from substance misuse; mothers living in transition housing, having escaped domestic violence; teen parents; families who have a child with a disability and families where one or both parents are unemployed. 

OCIN: What prompted the creation of BabyGoRound? What services or needs did the organization initially seek to fulfill and has this changed overtime?

BGR: Our founder had finished having children, and had a lot of baby gear that was all in great condition that she wanted to donate to an organization that could get it into the hands of families who needed it. When doing research, she realized that there was no organization doing this in BC, so she founded BabyGoRound. We remain the only organization in BC that provides families with everything they need to safely care for their babies. The basis of our work has remained the same since opening, however we are now able to support more families each year and to provide each family with more items. We are also providing families with additional resources including childhood safety training and first aid training through a partnership with Safe Beginnings.

OCIN: How does your program work? 

BGR: We collect new and gently used baby gear, clean it and ensure it is in good working order, and then redistribute it to families who are referred for our services. Families are able to choose a safe place to sleep for their child (bassinets and cribs), safe modes of transportation (strollers, car seats and infant carriers), safe places for their infant to be when not being held (bouncy chairs, swings and exersaucers), items to ensure their babies and toddlers are well nourished (breast pumps, nursing pillows and high chairs), items to play and learn (books, toys, play mats) as well as other nursery items (bedding, towels, diapers, formula). Over two visits, each family receives approximately $1,500 worth of gear. 

BabyGoRound provides a significant positive environmental impact on the community. Thousands of pounds of used baby gear, clothing and other items are diverted from the Lower Mainland’s landfill sites every year. To encourage donations from all regions of the Lower Mainland, we have 14 drop-off locations, through a network of “community champions” who collect on our behalf.

BabyGoRound is the only non-profit in British Columbia that is dedicated to providing under-resourced families with the items they need to safely care for their infants and toddlers. To remove access barriers to our services, we have referral partners located throughout the Lower Mainland, so that families can be referred from their home communities, through service providers they already have an established relationship with. We work with a well-established network of over 95 health and social service agencies, including public health units, MCFD offices, Healthiest Babies Possible programs, YWCA programs, municipal hospitals, settlement organizations, women's shelters, Indigenous organizations and services, and recovery programs, to identify families in need, and to refer them to our program for support. The families who are referred to access our program have at least one of the following vulnerability factors (many have multiple vulnerability factors): families who are new to Canada, either as immigrants or refugees; those with a household income below $40,000; single parents – almost exclusively single mothers; mothers recovering from substance misuse; mothers living in transition housing, having escaped domestic violence; teen parents; families who have a child with a disability and families where one or both parents are unemployed. 

BabyGoRound provides a significant positive environmental impact on the community. Thousands of pounds of used baby gear, clothing and other items are diverted from the Lower Mainland’s landfill sites every year. To encourage donations from all regions of the Lower Mainland, we have 14 drop-off locations, through a network of “community champions” who collect on our behalf.

OCIN: What area of your program is most essential in supporting the mothers and families that come through your doors? What systemic, long-term issue do you feel the pressing need to address in order to enact change?

BGR: According to psychologists, parenting stress is the distress you experience when you feel you just can't cope as a parent. The demands being placed on you are too high. You don't have the resources to meet them. Parenting stress damages parent well-being, and it can alter the course of child development. (Deater-Deckard 1998; Holly et al 2019) 

By providing the items a family needs to safely care for their infants and toddlers, we are able to reduce parenting stress, which increases the resiliency and coping abilities of parents, and directly benefits all children in the family. A reduction in parental stress is highly linked to better developmental outcomes for children, better social emotional development, and improved mental health for every family member. We act as a building block in providing healthy starts for infants, aiding early childhood development, which will ultimately lead to better early education.

OCIN: What particular baby donations are in constant need that quickly circulate through your facility?

BGR: We support about 85 families each month. Almost every family requests the same items: strollers, bassinets, cribs, play mats, bouncy chairs, diaper bags, nursing pillows and sleepers.

OCIN: What is the best way for individuals to contribute to the BabyGoRound community?

BGR: We have 4 or 5 donation days each month when we collect gently used baby gear. All items need to be clean, in good working order, and meet the current safety standards in Canada. A list of upcoming donation days can be found here. 

We also welcome volunteers to help us deliver our services. COVID-19 has limited our ability to use volunteers. We currently have enough volunteers to work with families, but are looking for volunteers to help with maintaining and updating our website and marketing and communications. If you would like to get involved as a volunteer, please email lisa@babygoround.ca 

85% of our annual budget is provided by donations from individuals and foundations. If you are interested in giving financially, please access the donation page on our website.