Archives for September 2012

Have you begun collecting coins for our ‘Change for Change’ coin drive?

Raiding the recycle bin is an easy place to find a container to collect coins in but the creative container ideas below might inspire you to get started right away – or to add a second container – for your coin drive.

1. Decorate an old wipes container as a great reminder of how necessary “the change” is.

2. Place a jar near the washing machine with a note that says “Did you check your pants?” A reminder not only to empty the change from the pockets before throwing pants in the machine, but a reminder of a similar phrase many moms have said to their little ones while peaking into their diaper “Let me check your pants”. Other clever saying ideas: Pamper a Baby, Share the Luv, or Give a Little Huggie.

3. Empty formula cans are a great reminder of a baby’s basic needs and they are easy to decorate. Cut a slot in the plastic lid for adding change.

4. Collect your bounty in a booty; throw change into a little baby shoes.

Every 25 pennies will buy at least one diaper so get started today.

Have fun with it! Please share pictures of your creative container on our Facebook page or tell us where you will be collecting coins (home, office, etc). Thank you so much for supporting Nestlings!

Photos and Ideas thanks to Katie from ABC and 123 Learning.

Filled coin containers will be collected at Pumpkinfest in downtown Zeeland October 4, 5, and 6. Nestlings will be on the corner of Main & Elm helping with the wood and glue sculptures (a very popular attraction you might be familiar with if you have attended Pumpkinfest in the past) After counting the coins Nestlings will be sure to recycle all the containers collected.

Coin Drive Prizes
Would your business like to be listed and linked here? Nestlings is accepting donations to be used as prizes in a drawing for all coin drive participants. Contact us for details.

When this picture was shared on our Facebook page it sparked a conversation and some questions:

Why open the diaper packages that are donated?
Why bundles of 12?
What do we wrap them with?
Who does all this work?

It started with the Huggies Every Little Bottom study (if you haven’t read it, take the time to at least skim it; it’s very eye opening). The study highlights the fact that not having enough diapers for their child is very distressing to a mother and just 11 extra diapers in a week helps her feel like she had ‘enough’.

Just 11 diapers relieves the feelings of burden and anxiety felt by mothers struggling with the ability to purchase diapers for their child. Nestlings made the decision to provide diapers in bundles of 12 to the agencies we support so they can easily provide that hope and encouragement to mothers through their programs.

The diaper bundles of 12 are convenient too. The programs with home visiting nurses can keep a few bundles in their car so they can provide the emergency relief a mother might need.

The twelve packs in clear packaging, labeled with size, are perfect for our Nurses, Socialworkers and Dietician to give to our clients on home visits. The InterCare Maternal Infant Health Program is a case management service created to reduce infant mortality. Many of our clients are high risk because of lacking basic needs. The dozen diapers is enough to hold them over while they follow up on other community referrals we make – Kathleen Lord, Maternal & Infant Health program

The bundles are also convenient for ministries our diapers support like the Holland Rescue Mission and church-based Care Closets where space to store bulky packs of diapers is not readily available.

We appreciate the work done by Nestlings Diaper Bank in placing the diapers into bundles of 12 diapers and wrapping them. By having the diapers all prepackaged and clearly marked with the sizes it makes it very convenient to store them and give them out to the families we work with. This is very handy and is not only appreciated by us working with Breakfast with Baby, but also by the families receiving the diapers. – Lori Clark, Breakfast with Baby 4th Reformed Church

Nestlings has a volunteer (sometimes two) who wraps the diapers using rolls of shrink wrap – the same large shrink wrap rolls used to wrap pallets. After diapers are bundled and wrapped a small label is put on with the size information.

Thank you for your interest in what we do and how we do it. Nestlings is a community effort. We respect your feedback and value your suggestions and questions. Contact us anytime via email at nestlings.diapers@gmail.com or interact with us and others who support our mission by commenting on our Facebook page.