Pregnancy Resource Center holds baby bottle drive

The Pregnancy Resource Center lets businesses and churches commit to placing these bottles around the valley to collect funds. | Catherine Stachowiak/Kern Valley Sun

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The Pregnancy Resource Center lets businesses and churches commit to placing these bottles around the valley to collect funds. | Catherine Stachowiak/Kern Valley Sun

The Kern River Valley Pregnancy Resource Center has been holding its Baby Bottle Drive again this year. Last Thursday, Christine McDaniel, the center's director, told the Kern Valley Sun the faith-based center has been holding the Baby Bottle Drive annually since its inception in 2009.

The center provides big baby bottles that businesses or organizations can put out for customers to drop in donations. Businesses, organizations and churches in the community commit to the drive, and individuals can bring their own money-filled bottles to the resource center.

Whichever church brings in the most during the drive receives the annual Golden Baby Bottle award.

The center holds the drive because it is easy to place change in a baby bottle, McDaniel explained.

“It really adds up. It has been one of our best fundraisers consistently," she said.

Money raised from the drive helps with the center's rent and light bills and buys supplies for babies age 2 and younger.

The center provides clients with diapers, baby formula, new car seats, pack-n-plays, baby clothes and blankets, and anything else a baby might need, as well as free parenting classes.

If there are housing insecurity or transportation issues, the center can direct clients to other resources. The center collaborates with the Family Resource Center of Kern River Valley, the Women's Center High Desert, Owens Valley Career Development Center and Youth for Christ to reach the needy effectively.

"Our baby bottle drive used to be from Mother's Day to Father's Day," McDaniel said. "Then COVID happened, so we changed it around. Now we do the drive from Father's Day until the end of July, so it gives people more time."

Every year, McDaniel said she becomes a bit nervous about the outcome of the fundraiser.

“Sometimes we have more folding money and checks than other years," she said. "But it's amazing because each year it has been more successful."

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