CALDWELL, IDAHO — As we continue highlighting the wonderful organizations helping out new and expecting families during our Community Baby Shower week, we look at one in Caldwell that's played a huge role in hundreds of families' lives. This morning, we highlight Baby Haven at the Caldwell Salvation Army.
"When I was 17, I was pregnant with my first child and I didn't have a lot of family support. I was working on and off on my own. So I kind of lived on my own with my partner. We were very low income at the time. I didn't know how to take care of a child or essentially what I was going to do once I had the baby," said former Baby Haven Mother Tokasha Huskey.
While Tokasha's story isn't necessarily uncommon, finding a group that will help you every step of the way is. Fortunately for her, she found Baby Haven.
"But I went to a WIC appointment at one point. And they were like, hey, if you, your situation, like there's this program and they'll kind of help you get free stuff for learning how to be a good parent essentially," said Huskey.
Baby Haven is a free program run by the Caldwell Salvation Army that has helped new and expecting families for several years.
"It is for families who are either pregnant or the child is up to 24 months of age. They come in and we have community partnerships that come in and teach lessons," said Caldwell Salvation Army Corp Officer Lt. Amy Lewis.
The program teaches families life skills like healthy eating and cooking, smart shopping, money management, and rewards participants through an invaluable point system.
"They earn points for coming. They also earn points when they take their child to a well check, when they go to a dental visit, any of the different things that help a child to be healthy, and then they're able to spend those here in the Incentive Store," said Lt. Lewis.
"And with those points, They can get things like shampoos and soaps, books, clothing and so much more," added Good Morning Idaho Anchor Matt Sizemore.
"You could take home things like formula diapers, clothes, just any essentials that you need for the child. And then if you've earned enough points, you can get bigger items like bouncers or playpens and stuff. It gives you a reason to actually learn about child care and do kind of the, the everyday things to take care of yourself," said Huskey.
And for those who already have young kids and want to take advantage of this program, you're covered.
"We have a person who's providing child care in the room, same room. But the kids are at a different table and we have arts and crafts for them. We have different other little projects. Could be painting, could be some other craft project," said Lt. Lewis.
For those who may feel like they have no place to go or no one to talk to in a scary period of uncertainty, Baby Haven is there to help, and remind you that you're not alone.
"I didn't really have parents to teach me those everyday things and I know there's a lot of people out there like that too that don't know how to care for a child. So being exposed to it and knowing how to keep them safe, like infant car seat safety, those kind of things I wouldn't have known it otherwise. So my Children wouldn't have been as safe as they ended up being," said Huskey.
"We bump into people not in their best spot in life sometimes, right, and it's just being able to show them that grace and that love that comes not just from us but from the community and let them see how much people care about them. It really can really change lives," said Lt. Lewis.
You can donate to the Community Babyshower by visiting the Idaho News 6 website. Albertsons stores all over the Treasure Valley will be accepting hard goods donations (diapers, wipes, baby food, etc.) on July 26.
