On a chilly Saturday morning in March, the parking lot of Kalamazoo’s Urban Alliance building on Stockbridge Avenue was packed with cars. Inside, families with kids in strollers and wagons crowded a hallway outside the gym, waiting to get inside.
The groups were greeted by staff who handed them raffle tickets for prize items that sat on a table at the door to the gym. Among the prize bundles were a luxury postpartum care kit, a hoard of diapers and baby essentials and a pack and play. One couple used a translation app to ask which prizes they were allowed to use their tickets for.
Inside the gym, a baby shower was in full swing. But instead of one expectant parent being showered, it’s a celebration meant for the whole community.
Balloons, baby decorations and colorful streamers lined the walls. Families with infants, young children and teenagers sat at tables decorating onesies and playing baby shower games.
And around them, tables with representatives from local organizations lined the walls, offering information about community resources — from postpartum care and early childhood education to banking and health insurance.
Nonprofit Cradle Kalamazoo, which is a division of YWCA Kalamazoo, works with the goal of reducing infant deaths in Kalamazoo County and eliminating racial disparities in infant mortality.
They started throwing the community baby showers as a way to connect families with tangible resources that can help improve infant health outcomes. They're completely free for families, and anyone in the community can sign up.
Improving infant health
Data overwhelmingly shows that infants and children are more likely to have better health outcomes if their family has secure access to basic resources like food, healthcare and stable housing.
Cradle community engagement manager Sydney Morris said many families come to the baby shower not knowing about all of the community resources that are available to them.
“You might come to an event like this and connect with one of our vendors and just realize like, "Oh, and this spark happens." I'm like, "Oh, I've made a connection now." And I know about something that I didn't know about before that could help me, help my family, help my baby," Morris said.
In Kalamazoo, Black infants died at two and a half times the rate of their white counterparts from 2022 through 2024. But that rate is lower than in previous years. Cradle’s goal is to end the disparity, and organizers like Cradle health equity manager Kamiryn Davis Bussell see better access to resources as one part of the solution.
"The purpose of this baby shower is really just to ensure that everyone has the same opportunity for resources, healthcare in our community," Davis Bussell said.
Around the room, organizations like Fatherhood Network and Integrated Services of Kalamazoo chatted with families about their resources.
There was information about Medicaid, childcare options in the area, postpartum and lactation classes — and lots of information about public assistance programs like Rx Kids, the cash "prescription" program that gives money directly to pregnant or new parents. Advia Credit Union was there to offer information about opening a checking account.
Free food, and postpartum supplies
The shower also provided a kid-friendly space and an opportunity for parents to walk home with baby essentials like diapers.
"We provide free food, we provide drinks, we do raffle items. We do provide a free diaper and postpartum bag for for every participant who comes along too," Morris said. "Really just so that people can grab resources, connect with resources, and also connect with each other and build community together."
Jessica English of Birth Kalamazoo came to talk to families about the organization’s doula and postpartum services and their childbirth and breastfeeding classes.
“We have VBAC and cesarean support groups that are free to our community, prenatal yoga, so many great resources to help families have safe, healthy, wonderful births," English said.
In addition to the big raffle run by Cradle, almost every organization at the shower raffled off an item or prize bundle of their own. English gave away a postpartum recovery care set.
All attendees walked away with a diaper and postpartum bag full of baby supplies. Morris says the showers have become so popular that they now happen four times a year.
"Just because we're holding it once, doesn't mean it's not going to happen again, and people are more than welcome to come more than one time," Morris said.
As the raffle began, families gather around their tables listening to see if they would take home the pack and play or baby formula package.
With prizes available from organizations around the room, many parents walked home with full hands. Moms Bianca and Janisha won big; they took home gift cards, baby bath supplies, wipes, diapers and more. Expectant mom Bianca said she has two year old twins and a one year old baby at home.
“I came here last year with my twins and the year before that with my baby and it was really lovely. It was down at the YMCA last time and I liked it. And this is really really fun and just it brings brightness," Bianca said.
The crowd was all smiles as they packed up their winnings and filed out of the gym. Cradle staff handed out the last of the food and ice cream and encouraged everyone to come back again to the next baby shower.
Cradle's next community baby shower does not have a set date yet, but organizers say it will happen in the next few months.
