The Community Baby Shower event was inspired by the Pro-Life Aggies group at Texas A&M University. The group hosted a “shower” asking shoppers of a local store to purchase diapers, wipes, formula, and baby items to give to the group so they could, in turn, donate these items to a local pregnancy resource center. After their Community Baby Shower, the Pro-Life Aggies donated over $700 in cash and truckloads of baby items!
The popularity and success of the Community Baby Shower has made it a favorite event among pro-life student groups. Students for Life of America has seen thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of needed materials donated to pregnancy centers all over the nation, thanks to our courageous and faithful students. Last year, Students for Life of Ozaukee County, WI (pictured above), gathered $3,000 worth of baby items in one day!
host your own Community Baby Shower!
1) Contact the local pregnancy resource center in your area. Tell them your group wants to collect donations for them from a local store. Be sure to ask them what items they are generally most in need of. Visit www.optionline.org to find a nearby Pregnancy Resource Center that you can help!
2) Contact (by phone or in person) a local grocery store (e.g. Target or Walmart) several weeks or months ahead of time to get permission to host a donation drive outside of their store. Have as much information about the local pregnancy center you’re helping as possible (such as flyers or posters you wish to hang up or hand out), as well as your contact information, in case the manager requests. While not all stores require a letter of recommendation, you may contact Students for Life for a letter, if needed: Sample SFLA Letter of Recommendation.
3) Once permission is obtained, make signs asking specifically for baby items. For example: “Will you help mothers in need at (name of PRC) by donating diapers, formula, wipes, and other baby items? Thank you for your support.” Also, decorate a jar to have available in case people want to make cash donations or give gift cards to the pregnancy center instead. Make small fliers with contact information for the pregnancy center and their website and address, too. Below is an example flyer you can download and fill in for your group!
**Click here to download flyer**
4) Call to confirm the date of the Community Baby Shower with the store the week beforehand.
5) On the day of the Community Baby Shower, dress comfortably and bring supplies needed. You will need a table or pack and play to place donations and to tape the signs. Place your decorated jar on the table or in a safe but accessible area so that people can easily put donations in it. Also, have someone physically hold the sign with the list of needed items. (People are more likely to read it if is held.) Always listen to store employees if they request that you place the table in a specific location in front of the store.
6) About an hour before you pack up your donations to leave, take down the signs and stop requesting items. That way, people still shopping who intend to donate will not be stuck with baby items that they have no use for because you left!
7) Share your story! Contact Students for Life, and tell us about your Community Baby Shower and how you helped your local pregnancy resource center! By sharing your success, you can become an inspiration to students nationwide!
Other Helpful tips
Whether you are a veteran or just starting out, these tips are helpful to remember for making your community baby shower as successful as possible. Contact your SFLA Regional Coordinator for further assistance to make this a successful event!
Register your group
The next National Community Baby Shower weekend is April 26-27. To ensure groups are not planning events at the same times and locations, please register your group events with Students for Life using the following form:
