Start Gathering Baby Items for the 2008 Essentials for Young Lives Drive

Calling all diapers, bottles, baby wipes, formula and any other baby-related item you can think of! November is upon us, and while most associate this month with Thanksgiving, it also happens to the be the month of HomeAid Atlanta’s annual Essentials for Young Lives Drive, which is to be held Nov. 12-19. Of course Thanksgiving is relevant to this Atlanta charitable event as the spirit of the season is giving, and who better to give to than the homeless babies and toddlers in and around Atlanta. Organized in conjunction with National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week, this annual community-wide drive collects essential items for homeless babies and toddlers in the metro Atlanta area.

Essential items being collected include diapers (all sizes), baby wipes, baby food and baby formula. The local community is encouraged to collect these items from within their families, neighborhoods, businesses, churches or schools (all items must be new and in their original packaging). Items collected can be dropped off at The Housing Center in Tucker during normal business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday) between Nov. 12 and Nov. 19 or at any of the public collection sites located around metro Atlanta. For a complete list of collection sites, visit the HomeAid Atlanta website. All contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

New this year, items can also be purchased in-store or on-line via the baby registries at Babies“R”Us and Target. Simply enter “HomeAid” for the registrant’s first name, and “HomeAid Atlanta” for the last name. Items purchased on-line can be shipped directly to HomeAid Atlanta (shipping charges apply).

Joining hands with HomeAid Atlanta this year, Atlanta-based UPS will be participating in the Essentials for Young Lives Drive in conjunction with UPS Global Volunteer Week, and will assist with delivering the items collected to the children. Also partnering with HomeAid Atlanta this year to collect items for the Essentials for Young Lives Drive are The Atlanta Sales and Marketing Council, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, The Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, Monte Hewett Homes, Sharp Residential and Weissman, Nowack, Curry & Wilco, P.C. Families and individuals throughout metro Atlanta are invited to get involved by helping to collect items for the Essentials for Young Lives Drive as well.

All essential items collected will be distributed to local transitional housing facilities that care for homeless infants and toddlers including Decatur Cooperative Ministry, Genesis—A New Life, HomeStretch, My House, Rockdale Emergency Relief, Tapestry Youth Ministries and The Drake House. HomeAid Atlanta is assisting or has assisted in building new transitional housing facilities for these programs. With more than 40 percent of metro Atlanta’s homeless population being women and children, the items collected will come at a crucial time, just before the holidays, when local transitional housing facilities are full and in need of extra support.

Last year’s Essentials for Young Lives Drive was a tremendous success, collecting more than 48,000 items for homeless babies and toddlers. The goal for this year’s drive is to collect a record number of items, allowing more homeless children to receive the everyday items they so desperately need.