Imagine Choosing Between Food and Diapers

Earlier this month, Salt & Nectar introduced some of LA’s talented mom bloggers to one of its favorite local charities Baby2Baby at the first-ever Blogger2Baby event to kick off a summer of giving.

For those of you who live outside of Southern California or aren’t familiar with the charity, let me take a moment to share with you about Baby2Baby’s crucial mission.  The organization supplies families in need with essential baby gear and clothing for their children up to age 12. By distributing new and gently used items to over 40 non-profit partner organizations, Baby2Baby reaches over 50,000 children per year. Thanks to donations from families like yours and pledges from corporate donors Huggies and Million Dollar Baby, Baby2Baby will distribute over 1 million diapers over the next year and 2,013 cribs by 2013. Many of the children Baby2Baby serves are at risk of entering the foster care system because they don’t have a safe place to sleep at home. Other families they work with are struggling with the burden of choosing between food and diapers, escaping domestic violence, or overcoming homelessness and leave all of their day-to-day items behind to come to a shelter. Baby2Baby helps these families stay together for the well being of their children. 

While Baby2Baby’s mission is motivation enough, two things also inspired my decision to organize the event.

The first: The community aspect of blogging. When I left law firm life in DC in favor of being a stay- and then work-at home mom in LA, I naturally didn’t quite feel like myself as I made this transition. And it was through the connections I made and the support I received through this virtual community that I found my footing faster. Then and now, other bloggers’ words, storytelling, confessionals, advocacy, and causes near and dear to their hearts inspire me. Their work—like a virtual hug, sage advice, or a reminder that I am not failing miserably as a mom—encourages me to be a better writer, person, and parent; sparks me to think about things differently; and moves me to give back to this online tribe and share what inspires me too.

The second: The now famous (and rightly so) documentary Caine’s Arcade. Not only is Caine’s story and dedication to his visionary cardboard arcade inspirational, but filmmaker Nirvan’s success at using social media to raise six figures for Caine’s college scholarship fund and a foundation in a week is simply amazing. Watching Caine’s story go viral and bring together a community of strangers to support innovative children and their dreams made me realize how impactful bloggers can by using our platforms to raise social awareness and hopefully inspire philanthropy.

With these two things in mind, I thought it great to connect our virtual community with real community organizations to learn about causes impacting our city and its families, spread the good word, and encourage a summer of giving. And, as Courtney Lewis of Santa Monica Macaroni Kid pointed out to me, just like it’s great to get out from behind our computer screens to put faces to names, it’s great to really get to know about a charity and its mission in person.

During our time at Baby2Baby, co-president Norah Weinstein and Program Director Jacqui Khastoo shared about the charity’s beginnings and how it’s steadily grown to serve the city, that they are always in need of diapers and umbrella strollers (the latter because many moms rely on buses to get to and from work), and that any donation big or small makes a difference. The Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic and Prototypes also shared how the items they receive from Baby2Baby positively impacts their client’s lives, reminding me how much I take for granted, how much an item like a bouncer can bring a single mother of three relief so she can have a safe place for her baby when caring for her older children and home, and how much the social programs need such donations to support their mission of helping families stay on their feet as they work to overcome the barriers, challenges, and injustices they face.

If you’re like us and find that you have clothes or gear that your child outgrew in a nanosecond, believe in green living and want to encourage reuse, or want to participate in the cycle of giving, we encourage you to donate to Baby2Baby or find a nearby drop-off location. We also think volunteering with your children or friends to prepare donations and care packages with everyday essentials from soap to socks for families in need makes a great summer activity. And if you live afar but would like to get involved, you can make an online donation, organize a virtual drive or baby shower, or find a similar charity in your hometown.

We hope you’re inspired to join us in a summer of giving, either here, in your hometown, and for a cause that is close to your heart. (Please feel free to grab the badge from our sidebar if you'd like to rasie awareness and support Baby2Baby's efforts.)

To read about other bloggers's experiences at Blogger2Baby, visit Silver Lake Mom.

~ The Other Sarah

Sweet Talks with Kelly Patricof and Norah Weinstein of Baby2Baby

Babies and toddlers grow so fast that we are often left with a surplus of barely used items and gear that we no longer need. Sometimes we pack them away for the next child, sometimes we pass them onto friends who are expecting, and sometimes we choose to donate them to other families in need. And that's where Baby2Baby can help.

Because throwing things away is never an option for me—and because I look to live conscientiously and greenly with a smaller footprint—I was more than happy to donate my son's outgrown baby items to such a great local charity dedicated to serving over 50,000 children each year through a network of over 40 non-profit organizations, including homeless and domestic violence shelters, Head Start programs, and Children's hospitals. Many of the children Baby2Baby serves are at risk of entering the foster care system because they don’t have a safe place to sleep at home. Other families they work with are escaping domestic violence or overcoming homelessness and leave all of their day-to-day items behind to come to a shelter. Baby2Baby provides essential items that help families stay together and improve the health and well-being of their children.

As moms, how could we not support that mission and applaud the meaningful work of the women behind this great organization!?!

{q} In one sentence, what’s a day in your life look like?
{a} Kelly: Norah and I are always marveling at what our days are like. From one moment to the next, we are in different places and situations.  We can go from working in our new headquarters, to visiting a homeless shelter, to a lunch meeting, to ballet class with our kids—all in one day!  It’s all over the place!

{q} Red lipstick or lip balm?
{a} Kelly and Norah: Lip balm!

{q} What’s the best advice your mother gave you?
{a} Kelly: Always look presentable when you leave the house because you never know who you're going to run into! You'll never catch me in sweatpants. Norah: Get a law degree, even if you don't ultimately practice. 

{q} Who is your favorite fictional mother?
{a} Kelly and Norah: Mrs. Taylor from Friday Night Lights! 

{q} What are your favorite blogs and why?
{a} Both: Salt and Nectar! We really do love it!! Kelly: I also love Who What Wear. Just because you are a mom doesn't mean you still can't be fashionable! Norah: I like Trendera to keep up with current trends. I’m also constantly visiting Baby Center to find answers to common kid’s ailments.

{q} How did your lives as an attorney and a model lead you to running a non-profit organization? Any tips to other moms for staying the course and getting their charity off the ground?
{a} Kelly: I was always interested in working with underserved children. When I worked in New York as a model, I volunteered at the Northside Center For Child Development in Harlem in my spare time. Seeing the daily struggles that some kids face by not having basic items made me want to help children in need. There was one little boy who had a learning disability and would often come to the center without proper fitting shoes and without breakfast in his belly. Lacking these everyday basics made it very hard for him to focus on the already challenging learning process. The kids I met there sparked my interest in leading a non-profit organization to help children in need. 
Norah: I practiced law as a litigator at Skadden Arps and was able to take on pro-bono projects. Those were the cases that interested me most. Now, running a non-profit organization means that I can do this type of work full time rather than only in my spare time. Getting a charity off the ground, or any new business for that matter, is certainly not easy. We found a fiscal sponsor called Community Partners that allowed us to get our 501(c)(3) [non-profit] status almost immediately. I would definitely recommend using a fiscal sponsor to others starting out. They help you with the nuts and bolts of running a non-profit organization (taxes, legal, insurance), which allows you to focus on programming.  

{q} When or how did you know it was the right time to transition from your former careers to running a non-profit?
{a} Kelly: After living in New York, I moved to Los Angeles and had my own two children. It was then that I really saw the amount of money and hard work it takes to raise kids. And you need so much gear! It’s hard to imagine doing it without a steady income. Once my children were both in preschool, I knew I needed to get back to work and Baby2Baby was where I wanted to devote my time.
Norah: I think a lot of it happens naturally in spite of the best intentions to plan out career and parenting maps. I was practicing law before I had kids and then launched two Internet start-ups after they were born. It wasn't necessarily the "perfect" time to take over Baby2Baby. It is an enormous time commitment, but the opportunity arose and we knew it was the right time. 

{q} How has being a mom prepared you for running Baby2Baby?
{a} Kelly: When social workers or case managers come into Baby2Baby to pick up things for their clients we give them tips about the gear from our own experiences. I’ve demonstrated how to use Baby Bjorns, Gyminis, strollers, and more…I would never have known how to do any of that before kids!  
Norah: You can read about babies going without clean diapers but when you have a baby, it affects you in a totally different way.  Your sensitivity to the struggle of moms without basic essentials is heightened the day you give birth. That knowledge drives us in our entire cycle of giving—from teaching children, including our own, to give back, to working with social workers and families.

{q} What’s the one thing you’ve learned that you wish you knew before leading Baby2Baby?
{a} Kelly: That it is a 24-hour a day job. If I am not at our headquarters, I'm running around having meetings with donors, trying to inspire moms in the community to help, or e-mailing Norah at midnight with ideas and reminders.

{q} What are the most rewarding and challenging aspects of your jobs at Baby2Baby?
{a} Kelly: It’s very rewarding when you can see that our work is really making a difference. When a mother who receives things from Baby2Baby comes up to us with tears in her eyes and says she is so grateful for your help, you can't help but get teary back. The challenging part is knowing that there are so many more families that need help with diapers, clothing, and gear. 
Norah: The other challenge is balancing work and kids, which we know is the challenge for everyone. But it is very real. The rewards are endless. I can't think of a more rewarding job.  

{q} What are your top three parenting tricks for running a happy household?
{a} Kelly: SCHEDULE! I am a firm believer in schedule. Our kids are happier and we’re happier too!  I love knowing I have a 12:30-2:30 break during naptime on the weekends. I can work out or go have lunch and know that at 7pm they go to bed and I can have some grown-up time.

{q} What’s your favorite hidden gem in the city for entertaining your kids? For girls’ night out? A romantic date?
{a} Kelly: Griffith Park is full of fun stuff to do with kids. There are pony rides, train rides, and an awesome playground—my kids love it!  For girls night out, I like dinner at Pace. They have such a fun relaxed vibe, yummy organic food, and great wine!  My husband and I love Sushi Park for date night.
Norah: For a family outing we love going to the beach. It’s not a hidden gem, but it’s our favorite! My favorite date spot is Sushi Yu & Mi. My husband had a roll named after me for my birthday one year

{q} Guilty pleasures?
{a} Kelly: The TV show Revenge - I am obsessed! Norah: The extra 10 minute foot massage during a pedicure. It's the best $10 I spend all week. 

Rapid fire fill-in-the-blank:

Kelly
Never have I ever seen the movie Titanic. 
My kids taught me how to stop being so particular.
I regret not having traveled more before kids - and I travelled a lot!
My get-out-jail-free celebrity crush is Timmy Riggings.                                                          

Norah
Never have I ever driven on the freeway (that's not totally true but it's embarrassingly close!).               
My kids taught me how to truly appreciate every day.
My get-out-jail-free celebrity crush is Timmy Riggings!

*****

How can people get involved with Baby2Baby? The easiest way for LA-based moms to get involved is by dropping off gently used items that their kids have outgrown, or no longer need, at our headquarters. Other families, both local and outside of LA, have helped by collecting cash donations in honor of their child’s birthday or another special event. Baby2Baby also relies heavily on volunteers who help organize and distribute clothing and gear at their headquarters. For more information about how to get involved please visit www.baby2baby.org.

Sarah’s Favorite Things: LA Edition

Happy Friday folks! Isn’t it funny that this day still holds the same meaning for me even though I work from home now? Is it the same for you? If so, I know you’re letting out a happy sigh that the weekend is a mere few hours away. Before signing off until Monday, I’m going to leave you with a few things in, around, or related to LA that I’m totally digging or that I think you should know about (even if you’re not living in the Golden State).

Start your weekend with two of my favorite things (and I'm guessing yours too): Books and Cookies.  Even if the store weren’t so perfectly named, I would have still fallen in love with this gem of a new bookstore in Santa Monica. It’s a true kids’ space because, in addition to encouraging wee ones to escape to the imaginative world of books, it has host of playgroups, storytelling hours, music and art classes, and much more that are available for drop-in or set sessions. And once you’ve exercised your brain, you can replenish with a (healthy) treat from the café. What’s not to love?

I am a VERY late adopter of Twitter, but I must say that I love it for introducing me to many people and sources that I wouldn’t otherwise “meet.” Through our great friend Stephanie Stuart, I found @shanidarden. Ladies (and gentleman), if you have any skin problems or concerns, Shani is a must follow. She seriously takes the time to answer all tweets about treating everything from acne to sun damage to dark circles with practical advice and product suggestions (I’ve seen her recommend Olay!). It’s like having an on-call beauty guru.

It's not "baby got back"; it's "baby give back."   The Little Dude and I purged his closet and drawers, bagged the gently used clothes that he’d outgrown, and dropped it off at Baby2Baby, a charitable organization that distributes the items to Los Angeles families in need with young children. It’s easy. It’s green living. It’s tax deductible. And it’s a good thing to do.

The Nightmare Before Christmas in July! Okay, I’m not sure if my play on words totally worked (it reads more like the silly “Before and After” category on Wheel of Fortune), but I’m nevertheless stoked to take my out-of-town bestie to revel in the wonder of Tim Burton at his current exhibition at LACMA. Long live Edward Scissorhands!

Have you gotten yours? Starting this month, California households that have a gas stove, fireplace, or attached garage are required to install carbon monoxide detectors. I need to head to Home Depot, stat.

I am always amazed by the breadth and depth of talented Los Angeles-based bloggers. My latest blog crush—I’m totally smitten by the way—is the littlest. Do read. (P.S. – Check out Elizabeth Antonia’s great guest post featured in the Cup of Jo “balance” series.)

Image by Bello Mag/ ALEK and STEPH*Are Thursdays still the official start of the weekend? Or was that just in college? Either way, if you’re in need of a good way to unwind, grab a glass of wine or a bowl of gelato and sit down to watch the new television show SUITS on USA. Native Angeleno and college friend Meghan Markle stars in this new series. Show her some love by tuning in—you won’t be disappointed by the snappy dialogue and possible romance in the works.

~ The Other Sarah

Logos via the Books and Cookies and Baby2Baby Web sites.

*Bello Mag Image styling by Warren Alfie Baker; hair/makeup by Leslie Alejandro; and digital mastering by Martin Gonzalez.