Moms-to-be are invited to attend the third annual Community Baby Shower on Sunday.
State Sen. Samra Brouk, D-Rochester, created this event to provide supplies and resources to parents and children in need. Vendors will be on site offering donated food, clothing, diapers and other products that families require to care for a newborn or infant.
“Focusing on maternal health, focusing on infant health is really the foundation of our entire community,” Brouk said. “If we can't get it right with pregnancy, and those first few days, months, years of your life, what makes us think we can get it right later in life?”
More than 400 people attended the community baby shower last year, she said. This year's will be held at the Ryan R-Center on Webster Avenue from 1p.m. - 4 p.m.
“It is incumbent on us as leaders, as those who have resources, to meet people where they are,” Brouk said about choosing a community center as the shower’s venue. “It's very purposeful that we host this event in a central location.”
This year’s shower will feature a panel discussion on doulas — birthing experts who assist pregnant women and their families and advocate for them prenatally, during labor and delivery, and after the babies are born.
“If we can do a better job of making sure that parents have the support they need... that is also going to affect that infant,” Brouk said.
