Kiesha Arnold has four kids and her youngest daughter is only one year old. "It's really hard to raise kids, but, if you have them, you have to take care of them," Arnold said.
The city of Lansing is helping out. It gave out diapers, formula, strollers and more to parents in need. "This is very very helpful. Like me and my income, I have to pay bills with my income, come in here she's helping with diapers, she's helping with wipes, she's helping with formula if you need it," Arnold said of Dr. Joan Jackson Johnson, the director of Human Relations and Community Services.
Dr. Johnson put on a "Feed the Babies, Keep Them Dry" event in Lansing for parents with babies aged newborn to 3 years old to help give them necessities and information. She wants parents to know about the options they have, like cloth diapers instead of disposable ones. "We've seen babies around, when you pick them up, the Pamper weighs more than the child, they have severe diaper rash because parents reuse diapers," Johnson said. "We're saying, for the health of it, let us expose you to a healthier option."
Johnson says events like this one are especially critical in Ingham County, where 9 in every 1000 babies die before they reach their first birthday. "There are a lot of environmental factors that I think we can control through education, there are a lot of things that we could do differently, but we have to make sure that everybody has the knowledge of the resources," Johnson said.
Resources like calling 211, which helps connect parents to organizations that can, for example, help them get more formula if they run out. "It's important that young mothers, that young parents, know that there's a place to go," Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero said.
The Mayor and Johnson say events like this one are only possible because of donations and the generosity of the community.
