Riverside, California, July 13, 2021
During the month of June, eight parishes across the country participated in the first annual National Orthodox Baby Shower, sponsored by Orthodox Christians for Life.
As the inaugural event of the organization's Parish Ministry Program, newly-affiliated parish groups collected diapers, wipes, formula, clothing, and other baby supplies to be donated to pregnancy resource centers (PRC's) in their local communities.
The parish ministries decorated pack 'n plays with balloons and colorful signage to collect baby items after Liturgy each Sunday in June, tallying their final results at the end of the month. In total, the parishes donated:
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12,800 diapers
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150+ packages of baby wipes
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107 baby outfits
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138 pairs of baby socks
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25+ books and toys
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Numerous other items including formula, pacifiers, diaper bags, pack ' plays, baby lotion, and diaper cream.
The event was held to support women who choose life for their unborn children with the help of PRC's, which operate through financial and material donations from individuals and churches.
During 2019, 2,700 PRC’s across the country served nearly two million women and men in need, providing an estimated value of $270 million in no-cost services. These included pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, prenatal and parenting education, and material resources.
"We are thrilled with the success of our first national event, and so grateful to all those who helped support and raise awareness of the good work of pregnancy resource centers," said Emily Wilkinson, OCLife executive director. "We look forward to continuing to build an Orthodox pro-life movement through the unified efforts of OCLife parish ministries."
For information about forming an OCLife ministry in your own parish, see www.oclife.org/parishministryprogram.
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