A group of Simon Fraser University students is helping single mothers get through a bump in the road.
Lynn Shinto, Joseph Choi and Mercedes Book launched a local non-profit organization called One Big Movement (OBM) in December with the hope of creating a lasting impact in the
community.
Shinto says their first project, the Big Baby Drive, targets low-income women from across the Lower Mainland and helps address an alarming demand for baby necessities in the community.
The drive, which began Thursday and runs Friday at the Oakridge Centre, aims to collect more than 1,000 baby-supply items.
Shinto says they’ve received infant basics from baby crates and diapers to feeding bottles and toys.
All proceeds and donations go to YWCA Metro Vancouver, which provides support for single mothers and their families.
According to the B.C. Child Poverty Report Card, the poverty rate for B.C. children living in families headed by lone-parent mothers in 2009 was about 24 per cent.
YWCA’s Vanessa Wellington says she’s heard a lot of teen moms and single mothers express a need for baby supplies.
“The price of diapers, baby food are really expensive for single moms on social assistance,” she said. “If you’re a single mom, quite often you have to decide whether you pay for your rent, your hydro or your food. They’re constantly stuck in this.”
She says it’s great that a group like OBM is helping to support mothers in need.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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