Caught Caring: Jessica Seinfeld and Baby Buggy
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‘Tis the season of giving, and if you’ve been given a lot perhaps it’s time to give a little bit back! New York City-area moms can do just that beginning today as Baby Buggy kicks off its 2009 Gear Drive at the Caledonia in Manhattan.
With a motto of “Love, Recycled,” this non-profit organization was founded by celebrity mom Jessica Seinfeld shortly after the birth of her first child, 9-year-old Sascha. Baby Buggy collects new and gently used baby gear and clothing for families in need, having distributed 3,500,000 essential items thus far through a network of over 50 qualified social service partners.
The 2009 Gear Drive is seeking donations of strollers, bassinets, front carriers and highchairs, only, and runs now through Saturday. Celebrity Baby Blog recently talked with Jessica about the success of her charity, why she intends to keep Baby Buggy a NYC-based endeavor and what’s new with Sascha and her younger brothers Julian Kal, 6 ½, and Shepherd Kellen, 4.
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Click below for our chat with Jessica.
What motivated you to start Baby Buggy?
Having a newborn baby is such an indescribably joyous experience, but I must admit, I also found it a bit overwhelming and stressful. What really amazed me was how costly it was to clothe these tiny creatures and buy all of the equipment that is needed.
Maybe it was the hormones, but I felt sad that preparing for a new baby would also be a tremendous hardship on so many families.
I wanted to give everything I had away. This made me think: I bet all of my friends feel this way too. Luckily, they did.
We all got together and did a big baby gear and clothing drive in New York City. From there, our hugely successful drive turned into a daily mission — provide basic necessities for low-income families with new babies and young children.
Which piece of baby gear do underserved moms in NYC need most?
We cannot get enough strollers! It is a critical item for us.
One mother came to us from a very long distance with a 40 pound 4-year-old in a front carrier, because she had no stroller. Another mother could not take her very ill 2-year-old to the doctor, because she did not have a stroller for her newborn. Having no stroller is a crisis which leads to even more crises for a family living in poverty. It’s a vicious cycle.
With the growing popularity of websites like craigslist.com are you seeing a dropoff in donations?
Thank goodness, no! In fact, we are seeing the opposite. Ever since this economic crisis began, we have been shown what our donors are made of — they are all heart! They care deeply about what other human beings are going through and understand how badly people need the most basic items like warm coats, diapers, or a bassinette for a newborn to have a safe place to sleep.
These items feel good to give away because our donors know they can literally change the stress level of a family that is already suffering too much. Believe it or not, when you give a parent in need something critical like a stroller or warm clothes for their baby, it can be life-changing for that family. We’ve seen it happen thousands of times.
Why should a mom donate — rather than resell — her baby gear?
I feel very lucky and am appreciative that I can give my outgrown gear and clothing away to Baby Buggy. I certainly realize that not everyone is in this position. My personal belief is that the best time to give is the time when it feels most difficult to give. When you access your generosity, as difficult as it may seem, means that you are growing as a person. To me, that feels better than making a few dollars.
Are there any plans to grow Baby Buggy beyond the NYC metropolitan area?
We are honored to have been asked this question hundreds of times. The answer is still the same with one new caveat…We do not plan to grow as an organization outside of NYC, because we prefer to do the best job possible in the city we love so much.
It is important for my team and me to stay connected to the organizations and families we serve and we cannot do a good job if we are not in the same city. BUT, starting this summer we are launching a retail program across the country that will bring our services to several major cities across the country for a limited time. More details on that to come!
How can non-local moms help out? I will let your amazing moms know about our exciting national program as soon I am allowed to let the cat out of the bag. In the meantime, anyone can make a financial donation to help us purchase diapers and other critical items for families in need by clicking here. And we welcome followers on our Twitter page @LoveRecycled. It’s a great way to keep up-to-date on Baby Buggy’s work and events.
We’d love an update on Sascha, Julian and Shepherd!
AH! My other favorite topic! Thanks for asking. They are each having a great school year so far — full of after school play dates and almost NO AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES! That has been a nice change for our family. They are UNDER scheduled and thriving that way. They are also, most importantly, all sleeping through the night, for the first time EVER, so I am a bit less cranky than in previous years.
