BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — It’s 23ABC's personal bundle of joy, the third Bakersfield Baby Shower.
“When I saw the heartbeat, I got so excited. It just changes people,” said Shemeka Morris a Bakersfield resident.
Morris has seven kids but the first time she found out she was pregnant with her oldest, Awjahnai, was at the Bakersfield Pregnancy Center.
Years later, Morris and that same daughter showed up to 23ABC’s Bakersfield Baby Shower presented by hall ambulance Thursday our third annual event aiming to collect baby items for families at the Bakersfield Pregnancy Center, the mission at Kern County and Bakersfield recovery services help.
“It’s a blessing, and it just helps me to show them that you need to appreciate everything you’re going to get. And those that help you, you should turn around and help someone else. It’s called paying it forward,” said Morris.
Awjahnai and Shemeka were not the only mother-daughter duo with gift bags in hand. So was the MLK Community Initiative’s Ora Frink and her daughter, Olivea Sky.
Frink said that through her community outreach work, she’s seen how great the need is for baby care items locally.
“It is very important because there are a lot of deprived areas here in Bakersfield, especially the southeast area, and then coming out of a pandemic, where so many families have lost their jobs, so many families trying to recover, this is much needed. Because we have a lot of pandemic babies,” said Frink.
“I want babies to feel special, and I believe babies should have a beautiful childhood as they grow up,” said Sky with Shepower.
If the trucks full of diapers, baby wipes, and coloring books are any indication, Bakersfield shows up. Nick Hill said it’s in the nature of the community’s hometown feel.
“It’s a close-knit community. You’ve got people from every different ethnic background that’s coming in and that’s willing to work together for one common cause. So, when you’ve got that type of combination, everything just works out so well,” said Hill.
The Bakersfield Pregnancy Center told 23ABC that so far, they’ve counted
-100 cases of diapers
-5 car seats
-6 strollers
-2 pack-n-plays
-hundreds of clothing items
-200 packages of baby wipes
23ABC update you on the final donation count as soon as information comes in. Thank you for your generosity, Kern County.
