Wisconsin Help Center Serves Almost 1000 Babies a Month

CV NEWS FEED // Following a surge in clients after their rebranding, a Madison, Wisconsin center that helps pregnant moms and women with young children will launch a much-needed Diaper Dash fundraiser in September. 

The annual fun-run includes a 5k Run, a 2-Mile Walk, and a Kids’ Dash to raise funds and awareness for “Diaper Need” in the community. 

On the weekend Roe v. Wade was overturned, Babies & Beyond celebrated 40 years of service and renamed the center to better reflect their work. Now they serve approximately 950 babies a month, Executive Director Brenda Collins told CatholicVote. 

Collins says they serve a wide variety of moms and families, including some who have considered abortion or were planning on adoption but chose to keep or even raise their babies. 

“We’ve seen all different circumstances, all different stories. One [woman was] pregnant through rape and kept the baby,” said Collins. “All different circumstances and stories—and all very positive.”

After changing their name from “Pregnancy Helpline” to “Babies & Beyond” in June 2022, the help center went from serving 500 babies a month to 900 as of June 2023. 

“We grew so fast that … the space that we were in couldn’t accommodate us,” Collins told CatholicVote.

With the increase in clients, Babies & Beyond had to jump to a new facility in January, even though it “wasn’t budgeted.” On June 20, 2023, Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison blessed the Wisconsin facility.

With all these new clients, the organization is in need of donations. Collins explained that the “diaper need,” where families cannot afford enough diapers for their children, has increased to almost 50% of the families Babies & Beyond serves. 

“When I started three years ago, one in three families we knew were struggling with providing enough diapers,” said Collins. “Now the new study is saying one in two families are struggling. And that’s high.” 

Here, Collins referred to a June 2023 report which found that 47% of parents frequently struggle to afford diapers and have to cut back on other essentials to afford them.

In response, Babies & Beyond will launch a “Diaper Dash” to raise money for diapers in late September. The Diaper Dash will take place on September 23 in honor of “Diaper Need Awareness Week.”

Babies & Beyond offers material support for expecting mothers and families with young children up to age four, such as clothing, diapers, and baby care packages. They also offer educational resources, including a Safe Sleep Program, a helpline, and parenting guides.

“I always say we are providing so much more than a diaper. When we can make sure that parents have the materials that they need—when we’re meeting their basic needs—then they can focus on all those other things that they need to create a safe and happy home environment for their children,” said Collins. 

With 40 years of success, Collins says it’s the volunteers who keep Babies & Beyond going strong.

“We have had so many amazing dedicated volunteers that love God, and love the mission—and love people. And when you have that combination all together, how could you go wrong?”

Every month, when moms “shop” for free baby clothes provided by Babies & Beyond, they get to know each other and the staff and volunteers. The “social time” helps foster community. The organization is also working to reopen in-person parenting classes soon.

“A lot of our moms are really looking for that connection now, too,” said Collins. “They love coming in. They love talking to each other and getting ideas. They like seeing us—the staff and volunteers. I think that’s just really important for these young families, especially if they don’t have that kind of support system.”

Collins joined Babies & Beyond after she had her second child. 

“I’d just had a baby, and I know how important it is to have that support system. And I know how hard it is to get these materials, and I can’t imagine what other families are going through.”

Babies & Beyond may have religious volunteers, but the organization itself doesn’t actively promote a particular religion.

“We aren’t particularly a faith-based organization, but we are led by a lot of faith-filled people,” said Collins:

And we set it up this way because we don’t ever want anybody to feel uncomfortable coming to us for help because you’re very vulnerable when you’re in need, and we don’t ever want anybody to feel like if they believe something different that they can’t get the materials that they need.”

The work is a quiet witness to faith, Collins explained. “We as staff and volunteers believe that our actions and our presence is going to be the hands and feet of God,” she said, “and that has been an amazing witness, because we do see different people of faith, [every single] background, ethnicity, race, religion. Everybody is walking through those doors.”