Caring Hearts & Hands members
Laundry baskets full of handmade baby items, essentials, and diapers
Stuffed animal table decorations
Connie Vaughan
Every year, the third Saturday in May is Armed Forces Day, celebrated to honor all men and women currently serving in the military, as well as those who have served and sacrificed to defend our freedom. It is also the day that Caring Hearts & Hands of Quail Creek delivers its Military Baby Shower to the 162nd Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson. The Shower is for enlisted men and women who are expecting a baby to show support for their efforts to defend our freedom.
Thanks to the generosity of in-kind and monetary donations from the residents of Quail Creek and Green Valley, Caring Hearts & Hands once again delivered a Red, White, and Blue Spectacular Baby Shower on May 18. Twenty-nine laundry baskets for the newest patriots were full to the brim with new baby clothes, a nursery monitor, and baby quilts from the QC Quilt Covey and other talented quilters, along with crocheted and knitted blankets, booties, and caps and handmade bibs from our residents; a nursery book; miscellaneous items; and a mother’s diaper bag loaded with essentials. In attendance were the expectant mothers and fathers, along with siblings and other family members. Two of the moms were represented by their military husbands, as their little patriots could not wait for the Baby Shower!
The mothers-to-be were overwhelmed with the generosity of our residents and the handiwork of so many women in Quail Creek who took the time to make baby items for babies they will never see. One mother had tears in her eyes as she looked at her basket and tugged at her husband’s hand, happy that his overseas assignment had been delayed and he could share this experience with her and, hopefully, the birth of her baby in the coming weeks.
Once again, the families were sent home with an extra-large bag of diapers from the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona. One military dad guessed the number of diapers in the diaper cake, which he was happy to have, since his baby had come early and he could not believe how many diapers they were using! And each family was provided with a baby grocery cart seat cover provided by Medicare A to Z. Hundreds of gently used baby clothes, all donated by Green Valley White Elephant, were given to the parents. And Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library books also made an appearance. Also, local author Yasmin John-Thorpe created a special picture book entitled Noah’s Ark in the Desert about the wildlife in Southern Arizona.
There was a first this year, with a complimentary photo booth provided by Smile AZ Photobooth for expectant parents to have their pictures taken, and even our Caring Hearts & Hands members had fun taking pictures.
Again, thank you, Quail Creek residents, for your continuing support of this worthwhile event.
Check out the Caring Hearts & Hands website caringheartshandsqc.com for more Shower photos and Information.