The end of 2017 completed our third year as a program under Love Thy Neighbor. Our deliveries stayed consistent with 2016, with roughly 50,00 items in total each year. We average 3,000 items a month, plus 400 Christmas bags and their contents provided to Parkland and JPS in December.
This past summer, a press release from Parkland sparked a flurry of news attention for Love Thy Baby. We had no less than four news crews film our work sessions resulting in news bites and printed articles in both English and Spanish. We also added visibility for all the LTN programs through our participation in the North Texas Giving Day.
NTGD, the Parkland Auxiliary,
TPHCCA, Northaven UMC, TI and many generous individuals provide funding for the large quantities of flannel, batting, fleece and yarn that we consume while creating our blankets and handmade clothing. We still rely on clothing drives and our volunteers to gather store bought clothing to supplement what we're able to make, but we've come a long way from the early years of "passing the hat" before each major purchase!
Our satellite groups continue to contribute more than a quarter of our items, with the Knits Wits at the Coppell Senior Center continuing to be the largest. Lakeview Josey Ranch and Atria Canyon Creek contribute each month as well. The Clothing Assistance (CAP) program provides large quantities
of used baby clothing and diapers each month. Nancy Petty works hard to sort through these and pass them on to the agencies we work with
as well.
All of the publicity generated by our fundraising and media coverage has resulted in a number of new volunteers and some very large donations of fabric and yarn that put us in a great position going into 2018. We thank all those who've contributed items, money and/or their time, allowing us to do more each year.
