It all began with a simple idea to improve maternal and baby health by providing mothers with a box of infant essentials for the first four weeks of life. Welcome Baby USA, a nonprofit that was born in 2018, has since supplied more than 7,000 packages to low-income families across the country.
Sarah Steinhardt, a Bedford native, and her good friend Juliet Fuisz were navigating the challenges of first-time motherhood in 2015 and sharing thoughts about their new roles. Both women were struck by the burden of acquiring all the necessary items for a newborn.
“I was two weeks postpartum, totally overwhelmed, and I had all the help and all the resources I could ask for,” Steinhardt recalls. “I wondered how women and families could manage without a stable income, consistent housing, or familial support.” Inspired by Finland’s well-established practice of giving all expectant or adoptive mothers-to-be a government-issued “baby box” containing an array of useful products, she and Fuisz decided to create a version of their own.
They began assembling Welcome Baby boxes that currently include a month’s worth of diapers, wipes and rash cream, baby wash and moisturizer, a grooming kit, bottles, a thermometer, pacifiers, two pairs of pajamas, two pairs of leggings, six onesies, two swaddle blankets, mittens, socks, and hats, plus baby’s first book.
When disaster struck in California last winter, the charity provided newborn care packages.
Today, the nonprofit has partnerships with departments of health, hospitals, community health centers, shelters and clinics in multiple states (including locally at Northern Westchester Hospital) who identify recipients for the boxes: pregnant women and mothers who live below the poverty line.
The two women, both of whom had careers in TV news, have seen their efforts which “began on the living room floor,” blossom into a valued nonprofit. They have since teamed up with a logistics company in Florida that oversees procurement, warehousing, packaging, and shipping.
When disaster struck in California last winter and fires destroyed many homes, the charity worked to provide comprehensive newborn care packages to families who were imminently expecting a child. “We did a similar initiative when Ukraine was initially invaded by Russia. We sent packages to pregnant women fleeing Ukraine who ultimately gave birth in hospitals in Poland,” Steinhardt adds.
The organization is funded through private donations, family foundations, and various grants, and the duo hopes to expand their reach in the years to come.
“At full retail price, the box would cost $500—that’s not a feasible number for low-income families. Our goal is to make this the national standard of care for all families giving birth to babies in the United States and we’d like the Welcome Baby package to be available to any family that needs it.”
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