Thankfully the tornado didn’t produce much damage, and my kids slept through the storm. But it was a huge wake-up call. Devoid of supplies is NOT a place you want to be should disaster strike… especially in winter, where it can take days to dig out from under snow and if power goes out you are left in the cold. Irene left people without power for days, if not weeks in some parts. That made me think: it’s hard enough to face that with two young kids, but what if you had an infant… and one with special medical needs like our Noodle had?
I was thrilled to be a part of the Energizer Champions for Kids Simple Service project, where we are mobilizing people to put together kits for winter emergencies. At first I thought about donating it to my former school, but in the end I put the money into a really good kit for a family being discharged from the Jefferson Hospital NICU as part of our work through the Team Abby Foundation.
Here’s what we put in the kit:
This Energizer WeatherReady flashlight is awesome. We have one in our hallway. It plugs into an outlet and when the power goes out it goes on automatically. You can unplug it and it’s charged and ready to go!
No hot water and a medically fragile baby? You’d better have boatloads of hand sanitizer to keep them safe and germ free.
Ditto for the Clorox wipes and Wet Wipes. I keep thinking about how Noodle had a feeding tube, and what we’d do with no hot water to sanitize our hands before changing it or tube feeding her.
Energizer Recharger and Batteries– while more costly up front, definitely a wise investment and will save so much money in the long run.
I know most babies don’t use cereal until at least 4 months of age, but this could really come in handy once they hit that milestone. I made sure to get a box with a long expiration date, so it’s good until next year. It will mix with cold water in a pinch, which could keep a baby’s belly full in an emergency.
This lantern can sit on the floor or table and has a 360 degree lighted area. PLUS it takes either AA or size D batteries– do you know how hard it is to find a D battery in the days leading up to a hurricane?! Impossible.
No Heat + Infant = Very Bad News. This emergency blanket could be a lifesaver.
Plus a few more items, including tissues and Energizer Lithium batteries.
If you know a family facing a similar situation, I bet they could use these supplies. It’s hard enough to take care of kids in an emergency situation, but for a baby with special medical needs it could be the difference between life and death.
My kids were a little young to understand why we were putting the kit together, but they had fun nonetheless. We hope to drop it off together at the NICU in the next week so they can make the connection of what it means to help others. It feels great to support families that are just starting their NICU journey, since we were helped by so many during ours.
Want to see the thought process that went into choosing each item at Walmart? Then check out my Google+ story for the whole she-bang. If you are interesting in seeing more service projects, please follow Champions for Kids on Twitter and Facebook (or the #EnergizerCFK hashtag). Read about these Energizer products and more on their website.
This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. Many thanks to #Cbias and Energizer for giving us this opportunity to give back to others! #EnergizerCFK
Great items for your kit!
WOW, you are SO wonderful to donate all these things. I KNOW they add up to a LOT of money. I am so impressed and humbled when I see the good deeds of others. May the good Lord bless you and, as my mother would say, may He reward you a hundred-fold. I was laid off, so I cannot afford to do something like this right now for someone, but I will keep it in mind for the future. I DO know the effects of a power outage. I experienced Hurricane Irene too and was without power for over a week (I’m in Conn.) A few things that I had on hand were: paper plates, bottled water, peanut butter, crackers. Again: you TRULY are a wonderful person to do this.
Best,
Gloria
P.S. I see you have a “pin it button” at the end, so I am going to “Pin” a lot of these onto my Pinterest “Power Outage” Board – thank you! You have SO many great ideas here!
P.P.S. In the comments section of your “Oatmeal” photo, I added some more ideas. Here’s the pin if you want to see. 🙂
http://pinterest.com/pin/135319163773630610/
Fabulous idea. First I’m going to make one for our household and then one to donate. Thanks!
Great items in your kit! What a great idea to include an emergency blanket!
Great kit! Love that blanket. I love how you personalized the kit for a NICU family. Makes it a little extra special!
I think its great that you are donating to the NICU. They have so many other things to worry about during that time and I’m sure bad weather preparedness is not one of them. Good for you!