Community Action or "Why I Don't Give Free Baby Stuff to Celebrities"

A little more than a year ago. I started getting calls and emails from the PR people who  put together goody bags given to celebrities at big events like the Golden Globes and the Oscars.

Now the last time I checked, a goody bag was a small packet of candy and treats for kids to take home from a birthday party, so they won't feel bad about that big stack of presents the other kid got.

So, my first thought was "Celebrities are rich. Why do they need goody bags? To make them feel better about not taking home the statue?"

Of course, the goody bags are really marketing ploys, intended to create publicity and buzz for the baby companies who supply them. And apparently this strategy works quite well.

Too bad for me, because the last thing I wanna do is give free stuff to rich people.

A Charitable Version of Celebrity Swag

It did give me a great idea though. Just down the road lives my friend and neighbor Paige Collins. Paige runs the Providence Regina House, a community food and clothing bank in Seattle. (Can you imagine a more important job these days?)

Once a month, Paige and her staff hold a Baby Day, when they hand out critically-needed items like diapers, formula, jackets and clothes for the babies and toddlers of families in need.

I thought, "Wouldn't it be great to give awesome free baby items to people who really need it, instead of celebrities?" So, I teamed up with Paige and we created Baby Day Luxe, a kicked-up version of Baby Day giving needy families access to the same great giveaways celebrities get.

I started calling around to all my mom (and dad) friends in the business.The response was fantastic. The first Baby Day Luxe we had a huge pile of stuff to give away and it was so successful that Paige and I are making it an annual event.

Some of the wonderful Northwest companies who donated last year include: Egg Press, (printing, cards, announcements), Lots 2 Say - Baby (pacifiers), Picaflor (Peruvian knit baby apparel), Satsuma Designs (organic baby blankets), See Kai Run (baby footwear), Sippigrip (sippy cup holders), and Spoiled Rotten Baby (baby gifts).

The next Baby Day is scheduled for February 7, 2009, and we are currently accepting donations of all kinds. If you are a baby products vendor and would like more information on donating or volunteering, please contact me at carol@babychaleco.com. Or call 425 502 7111.

We also take donations of all kinds of baby gear - new and used - for the Providence Regina house now and throughout the year. For more information on donating please contact Paige Collins at paige.Collins@providence.org