LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — For many parents, bringing home a new baby is one of life’s happiest moments. But it can also bring financial stress.
That’s where Baby's Bounty steps in, helping ensure families don’t have to choose between paying rent and buying diapers.
Channel 13 is proud to partner with Baby’s Bounty for the 13 Connects Community Baby Shower, a campaign aimed at supporting local moms and newborns with essential supplies.
WATCH | Shakeria Hawkins explains how you can also support moms in need:
“They make you feel comfortable getting help.”
Thirty-five-year-old Melanie McMillan, a mother of two, says she doesn’t know where she would be without the nonprofit’s support.
“They’re great, they’re friendly, inviting, they make you feel comfortable with getting help,” McMillan said.
Still, reaching out wasn’t easy at first.
“I was hesitant to reach out. Sometimes you get looked down upon for getting assistance… but once I spoke to the organization, they were so sweet. They were so nice and they really, really do help," she said.
McMillan first connected with Baby’s Bounty in 2022 when her eldest son, Legend, was born. Now, four years later, with a 10-month-old named Nico, she says the support continues to make a difference.
“It definitely helps with the financial aspect of things… you get this amazing car seat and clothes, you know times are hard, even four years ago,” she said.
Donations that turn into lifelines
Kelly Maxwell, CEO of Baby’s Bounty, says many families they serve leave the hospital with very little.
“So our clients will come from the hospital with nothing, right? And often they can’t even leave the hospital until we show up with the car seat… you can’t leave unless you have an infant car seat,” Maxwell said. “What we receive from our clients — it’s just gratitude. They’re so grateful that now they have what they need to take their newborn baby home.”
Through the 13 Connects Community Baby Shower, community members can now help families just like Melanie’s.
Organizers are collecting:
- New baby clothes with tags (sizes 0–6 months)
- Unopened baby bottles
- New towels and washcloths
- Infant bathtubs still in packaging
- Unopened toiletries
- Diapers in sizes 5, 6, 7, 2T, 3T, and 4T
For McMillan, it’s sometimes the smallest gifts that mean the most.
“These cute blankets that they give… they were hand-stitched from people… it showed that people were taking the time to help keep your child warm," she said.
Donations can be dropped off at Baby’s Bounty’s headquarters at the Center for Families, 4495 W. Reno Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89118.
