Neighbor helping neighbor

Name brand baby clothes in near new condition purchased in thrift store.

Does your neighbor need help? Who is your neighbor? These are questions many try to avoid so they do not have to deal with the problems of other people.

We consider our neighbors to be anyone we know that has a need. If we can not help them directly we try to find someone who can. There are many volunteer organizations in our county that offer much of that type of help. It does however take the contributions of many locals to make that help possible.

Contributions can be given in several different forms. Money is always a welcome one but not one everyone is able to contribute. Several other types are services which require the gift of time and the gifts of donated items which may be new or used but still in good shape.

Volunteer organizations generally have the ability to reach out to a greater number of those in need than an individual does. They have the knowledge and experience it takes to find out how best to help those in need. Many organizations also help those in need by teaching them how to better help themselves.

One such place locally is the Care Net Pregnancy Center located on Main Street in Red Bluff. Most of their clients initially come in for pregnancy tests which are offered free. But their services do not stop there.

For the clients who want to keep their baby but find it difficult to deal with the added expenses a baby brings, the clinic has a store of baby items from clothes and baby furniture to diapers and wipes. These are all donated items the people within the community donate.

No item in the store is sold for money but for points earned by the clients. There program is called “Earn While You Learn.” The clients choose from a list of topics they would like to learn more about such as nutrition, the stages of pregnancy, how to care for a baby, Bible studies that deal with spiritual issues, learning about the effects of alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy, handling finances and more.

After a client decides what topics they want to learn about appointments are set up on a regular basis for those studies. Points are received for each study they complete. The points are then what they spend in the store for items needed for their baby.

Individuals who donate items for the store are in turn helping their neighbors. Perhaps not the neighbor on the other side of the fence from them, but maybe one that is down the street or across town. Not only is the donated items an immediate help but the information in the education provides long term help.

Donated items given to the store need to be clean, stain free and in good repair.

We recently went thrift store shopping, which happens to be one of our favorite hobbies. While shopping, we found several cute, barely used baby boy outfits that were on sale for pennies on the dollar. They ranged from about .95 cents for the one piece outfits to $1.75 for a name brand shirt and overall set. We had fun and were able to help someone out all at the same time.

More information on Care Net services or needs is available at 528-8102.