Laguna Niguel Annual Military Baby Shower Drive Needs Items

The annual Laguna Niguel Military Support Committee is holding its third annual baby shower drive Sunday, March 25 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. at Walmart, 27470 Alicia Pkwy.

The drive is to collect baby items for layette kits for families of the city’s adopted Marines and sailors. Volunteers will be collecting items a new mother would need, including new or unused clothing, blankets, bathing items and toiletries, toys, bottles, bibs, diapers and diaper bags. Cash donations are welcome, too.

This year is just as important as the last two years, according to Rich Encinas,  co-chair of the Baby Drive Committee, a sub-committee of the LNMSC, along with Bev Resh and Elena Faita-Nguyen.

"The event is important because freedom isn’t free and these young families sacrifice much," he said. "For example, our Marines were deployed for an unknown amount of time just days before Christmas in 2011. They are still currently deployed. They do this so we can enjoy the liberties that we sometimes take for granted."

He added that people should help out because so many are far away from their families, friends and often spouses while expecting, and they don’t always have the opportunity to have a nice baby shower.

You can help by donating a new baby item such as clothes, toys, diaper bags, diapers, toiletries, baby blankets, bibs and cash or checks. These items can be purchased at Walmart and then left with representatives of the baby shower drive who will be set up at the store. Or, items may be dropped off at the Laguna Niguel City Hall.

"Last year we had an unbelievable outpouring of support from the community," he said. "Enough to give around 20 families big, beautiful layette kits that included almost everything one would receive at a baby shower. These gifts are wrapped and personally delivered to the expectant mothers."

In the long run, the committee hopes the sailors and Marines who receive these wonderful gifts will ‘pay it forward’ and "as they transfer to different units across the nation and world, the word about this program will spread so that eventually every unit in the armed services will be adopted, and supported by a city like ours."