Community baby shower in North Philadelphia provides resources for new moms, families
It takes a village to raise a child, and a community baby shower in North Philadelphia on Saturday looked to make the job of being a parent a little easier.
Kanika Force-Carter attended the event at Temple University. As a mom of three, she knows the hardships of being a parent.
Carter recently had her youngest child, Kingston, and says having the support from the community eases the pressure of being a mom.
"It takes a lot of stress off of you by giving you the resources needed so you can accomplish your goal of being a good parent," she said.
Carter joined hundreds of families on Temple's campus for the event, which is now in its fourth year. The event focuses on promoting maternal health and wellness for new mothers while also providing resources to help them be successful parents.
"These days, even working two jobs and having a man, it's hard," Carter said. "Rent is triple what it was when I was able to stay home and breastfeed my last two, so just having things like this really helps."
For parents like Carter, it's the small things at the event that make a huge difference. Items such as diapers, formula and clothes were given to the new moms and families free of charge.
teamed up with Temple and other community partners to bring this event to North Philadelphia.
Street says the event is also hoping to tackle the issue of maternal mortality, and it's something that continues to disproportionately affect Black and Brown women.
"Part of that is lack of connection to resources, so we want to connect. We were intentional being in a zip code where those disparities are high," said Street.
Over 80 vendors took part in the event, including Vera Thompson-Jenkins with . Jenkins was at the event to provide educational resources about breastfeeding to help new moms.
"Because again, maternal health is our goal, to make sure our babies and our communities ... that we're growing, we're thriving, that we are getting the best maternal care as possible."
And for parents like Carter, the support from the community goes a long way in helping her and her family.
"Makes a huge difference," she said.
