Pregnancy Aid has provided valuable support to families for over 50 years on a “shoestring” budget. Their success is a testament to the faithful and joyful volunteers!
by Ruth Storkel.
Going in and visiting the premises of the Pregnancy Aid building in Des Moines (730 S. 225th in Des Moines), I found it to be a bustling beehive of activity on a Friday morning. There were 4 or 5 mothers there getting supplies, along with about 5 volunteers, who had various tasks they were energetically working on.
Some of the volunteers were doing bookwork, and others were giving out supplies, which they carefully counted and recorded. Others were sorting donations of clothes, etc. (“If we can’t use the clothes, we donate them to a mission,” said one woman.) One volunteer regularly takes dirty clothes home to wash, bringing them back clean and usable.
There is certainly a marvelous “teamwork” going on at Pregnancy Aid, and you can see all their diligence in the well-organized supplies. One room has a large set of bookshelves, with many books available for children.
“During the pandemic, people could not go to the library, but as an essential service, we were open and able to supply hundreds of books to people eager for their children to have good reading materials,” said Catherine Madison, director.
There is a large shelf of toys ready to give away and another room full of well-organized clothes prepared to be given to children (it reminded me of a trip to a department store).
Last year, 210 car seats were supplied. A car seat technician is working as a volunteer, and each car seat is safety-checked before being given away.
One of the most “in demand” supplies is diapers, and there are shelves and shelves of them, stacked up and ready to disperse to mothers of infants.
The volunteers I spoke with were very enthusiastic and genuinely enjoy being a part of this life-lifting charity that supports and strengthens families! (We need these centers in EVERY city!) They know what they are doing is strengthening the MOST IMPORTANT, foundational building block of our society: THE FAMILY!
Mike Sotzing – Navy Vet and children’s hat creator!
One unique thing about Pregnancy Aid is they have their very own designer/weaver of hats, Mike Sotzing. Mike is a Navy veteran who served as a ship quartermaster from 1966 to 1970. Around that time, he already had a heart for children and became a child sponsor for a little girl in Hong Kong. One of the most thrilling moments of his time in the Navy was when he was sent to Hong Kong and was able to make arrangements (through a priest) to visit the little girl, Chan, whom he had sponsored for two years!
After the Navy, Mike sold shoes at Nordstrom for 28 years and then retired. Due to loss of hip mobility, he is now in a wheelchair. His wife suggested he needed a hobby; he learned to operate a round loom and first started making pink and blue baby hats for the Valley General NICU department.
During covid, he got connected with Pregnancy Aid, and he now makes 40-45 hats per month for them. He’s making hats for children from many countries; they love multi-colored hats, so most hats have 3 to 4 bright colors. Mike sits at a table and works his loom with yarn his wife Gail buys at “Joanne’s.” “It’s really fun!” says Mike. Thanks to Mike, children can keep their heads warm! Mike is living proof that no one is too old to volunteer; he is now 75!
Pregnancy Aid – Des Moines (photo by Ruth Storkel)
Judy Kinuya is another great volunteer from Kenya
Judy travels weekly from Auburn on Mondays. She began coming in 2020 and is a beloved worker at Pregnancy Aid of South King County!
Judy said she really appreciated the way she was assisted when she arrived as an immigrant from Kenya in 2017. “When you come, you have nothing, know nothing. People were so caring,” she said. After receiving such love and help, she decided she wanted to give back in the way she had been given; when she found out about Pregnancy Aid, she was excited that there was a place she could contribute to others’ lives. She has now faithfully served for 4 years.
Judy has a regular job at Community Living in Renton. But she always reserves Mondays to serve at Pregnancy Aid. “The people that come are very appreciative; they just melt my heart,” she said. “And it’s fun being there!”
Judy speaks Swahili, and she has been able to do translation work for some immigrants who need language assistance. Judy has a 17-year-old daughter in Kenya and hopes she will soon be able to come to America. Being separated from her daughter has been very hard! Judy is a volunteer who truly understands the hardships of new community members and has a compassionate heart toward them.
Carla Bies, a Burien citizen, loves the smiles
Carla has been working at Pregnancy Aid for approximately five years. Her mother, who lives in Federal Way, also serves there; Carla’s daughter also volunteered there for a time. (Her daughter is a full-time nurse now and no longer volunteers.)
Carla works in the “back room,” sorting out clothes and organizing them. There is a lot of work to be done, sorting out donations that come in. There are 15-20 weekly volunteers, and each person has a particular area they work in. Working together, this is a very efficiently run operation! “We have fun working together,” Carla said.
She especially enjoys watching smiles light up the children’s faces when given a new coat, toy, or some other thing they need. It is very rewarding to be able to help people. One lady was homeless when she came in. “She didn’t have anything,” said Carla. “She was so happy when we could give her things her family needed!”
Serving multi-cultural families
There are a number of nationalities that come in seeking help. Sometimes, there are communication difficulties, but they use phone apps to help cross the language barrier.
One can only wonder how one small organization has continued for over 50 years on a “shoestring” budget. We acknowledge that their success has been due to the faithful volunteers who have so willingly donated thousands of hours to provide valuable support to families. This is an area where more volunteers are welcome…
If you would like to donate or volunteer for this wonderful cause, give them a call at 206-878-3770.
Since this is the beginning of the year, the donations at the center are low. We encourage the community to donate clothes, winter coats, and toys to Pregnancy Aid. (Many of the children coming as immigrants have not been able to bring their toys when they came, so they are especially delighted when they are given one take home.) This charitable work is dependent on many people in society to help them accomplish what they are doing……….. this includes you and me!
We congratulate Pregnancy Aid on a job well done!
They consistently follow this vital life principle:
LIVE TO GIVE!
