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GREENWICH, Conn. Karen Barone, RN, has worked at Greenwich Hospital for 32 years, but it seems like she's been there all her life. "I was actually born here," she said. Barone is still involved with childbirth at the hospital, teaching expectant women about their impending deliveries and running six-week education sessions for new mothers.
Her current charitable project, collecting diapers for families in need, was prompted by the program for new mothers. "People from the group would occasionally bring in diapers and clothes their babies had outgrown, and there was an informal swapping program," she said. "But this autumn I read an article about how expensive diapers were, and that some women were keeping them on their babies too long, sometimes even reusing them."
Barone reached out to mothers from her current and past education groups, and was floored by the response. "I got 25 replies within an hour," she said. "We had 4,000 diapers come through."With no formal program in place, Barone took it upon herself to distribute them to shelters and clinics in Norwalk, Stamford and Port Chester. "I wanted to keep it local," she said.
The program has begun to expand beyond diapers. "We're getting maternity clothes, formula, baby clothes," she said. "As long as I can find someone who needs it, I'll take it."
Barone also finds it nice that alumni of her mothers education group come back to donate. "It's a nice way to reunite and see how their babies are doing," she said, noting that some whose babies have outgrown diapers have gone to stores and purchased cases of diapers just to donate them.
"I think I may have to get a bigger car next time just to transport them," she joked. "But as long as there are mothers and babies in need, I'll keep doing it."
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