Spring 2024 is Volunteer Laura’s one year anniversary giving her time, energy and talents to Stork Support and we’d like to take this opportunity to share more about her service.

Laura’s gifts to our community have made huge impacts and she’s kept us going in many ways. She kicked off the year by collecting donations from her neighbors in January that totaled 1,694 diapers and 5 full boxes of maternity, postpartum and newborn essentials! This empowered us to serve more families this year and help to keep more babies clean, dry and healthy for our under-resourced neighbors.

In April she served beside Nikola at the Spring annual Project Homeless Connect with Homeward Alliance. It was a humbling experience and inspired the recognition of how much can be accomplished just through giving your time and love.

She has yet to miss a Diaper Bag Stuffing Party since her first in 2023 and she serves our community with heart and concierge service at our public distribution events. We took a minute to ask Laura to share in her own words her experience volunteering for Stork Support and her story of finding closure with her young motherhood journey was inspiring to us all!

I was looking into alternative donation options for gently used baby items. As I was researching this, I came across some amazing organizations in our community, but one stuck out more than others. Stork Support appeared to be mostly run off of Facebook rather than a website, and had a very obvious head of the program. I even noticed it had an upcoming event for a “Diaper Bag Stuffing Party!” There was certainly something more meaningful about not just dropping off the item, but loading it up with fresh necessities to pass on, to someone in need, in our NoCO community, within the next month.

The next event was a “volunteer power hour in Nikola’s garage” and that’s when I realized this woman was running this operation out of her own garage.

​After I left the diaper bag stuffing party I made a promise to myself that I would volunteer for Stork Support at least once a month. That was 13 months ago this April.

Ultimately, I believe that to help a mother is to help her children. Getting milk and formula to babies in need is far and away the most necessary service, but the multifaceted support that Nikola has adapted to a birthing person’s needs is truly the most meaningful to me.

​These include, but are not limited to, maternity needs, nursing, postpartum, personal and menstrual hygiene, and to be able to have these offerings delivered to those without transportation is nothing short of a miracle. It takes a village, and I’m grateful to have come upon it.

I believe everyone should volunteer or donate to a cause they feel passionate about. And if you’re not sure what cause you feel passionate about- just get out there!

Chances are you’re going to learn SO much by being around those who are running these organizations. Goodness knows I’ve learned much more than when I started.

Such as the price of formula going from $0.10 per ounce in 2020 up to $1.70 today, 2 in 5 menstruators struggle to purchase products due to lack of income in addition to WIC and SNAP benefits not eligible to be used on purchases for essential hygiene and health items with these federally-funded programs.

​There’s lots of monthly opportunities at Stork Support- and volunteering to drop off support packages can even be done on your own schedule if none of the events match with your full calendar. A goal of volunteering once a month is a great place to start. Get out there, people and be the change you wish to see and support those who already are!

Stork Support of Northern Colorado is 100% volunteer run. What does that mean? It means that our organization operates solely through the efforts of volunteers. 

Studies show that volunteering your time and skills can lead to better health physically, mentally and emotionally. This benefit is how our founder, Lisa, started Stork Support. And it is why it is just as important to us to host volunteer opportunities as it is to host distribution events for our community.

Check out this article HERE to read about our Executive Director, Nikola’s journey with volunteering.

Now let’s be realistic. This isn’t something that is sustainable long-term. The more we grow, the harder it is to meet the needs of the organization through just volunteered time and talent. And we have big dreams of being a part of the solution for our community in need by creating job opportunities where parents can both raise their children and work.

This dream will take time. Currently Stork Support runs on a “shoe-string budget” as they say. But we have faith that growing Stork Support to have paid staff will some day be in our future.

In the meantime, we’ve gained some amazing, committed volunteers since becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2021 and today we’d like a spotlight a special one.

​I met Nikola at a kids’ birthday party that our daughters were both invited to. She told me about Stork Support and between her obvious passion, my desire to get more involved in my community, and the fact that the heart of Stork Support is about something I also have cared for deeply – I knew I wanted to get involved.

I feel strongly about keeping babies fed and diapered no matter the family situation, and Stork Support fills a major gap in that arena, but on a personal level, I find our ‘due date boxes’ to be the most meaningful. To know that families will be bringing home their babies with all the essentials in place, and to make sure moms are cared for as well during the process of recovery, is pretty special. I also think that packing these boxes throughout the year has helped make the service even more meaningful to me. I get to pick out special blankets, clothes, and supplies and pack them with care and love, knowing how important these things that we often take for granted are to our clients. ​

​Nothing inspirational or magical, but just the ordinary moments with Nikola and Leigh in Nikola’s garage, getting the work done. It has become a family of sorts, where we share in our passion and our frustration at the world, where we laugh or talk about our own life problems, and where we love the families we serve through the work we do.

​A combination of things really. I remember a time in my life when I needed help and appreciating how little it takes to go from surviving to struggling, and want to give that help back. I think ordinary people like me help fill the gap between the reality so many families face and policy that has not yet caught up to basic human rights. Knowing that the people we serve are in my very own community – they could be neighbors or someone I pass in the grocery store – makes it even more important for me to take action. Also, for a selfish reason, I find so much purpose and meaning in it personally. It’s a chance to get out of my own little world, feel like I am making a difference in a time that often feels like we can’t do so, and I get to spend time with people I love and admire!

We all remember 2020, right? Even though at times we may want to forget. It was a pivotal year for Stork Support. Without 2020, we may not be the 501(c)(3) nonprofit we are today for many reasons. The story we want to share today though is how the challenges we faced during the 2020 Holiday season inspired a new program: Stork Support’s Virtual Angel Tree. And how it is a program we hope to continue and expand for years to come.

Our founder, Lisa Jensen, was running Stork Support at the time as a small business, even though all of her services were free. She was almost a one-woman show, supporting hundreds of families a year with maternity, postpartum and newborn essentials and baby gear. When lockdown hit March 2020, she knew that Stork Support needed to become an official nonprofit in order to serve the community’s needs. She also knew that she would have to provide her services differently that year in order to keep going. She started conversations on building a team to take over and she continued innovating in the background on how she could keep giving during such a transitional time.

Christmas is one of Lisa’s favorite holidays. She absolutely loves seeing everyone have a giving heart during this season. Bringing Christmas joy became another passion of hers. But 2020 continued to be a challenging year into the Holiday season. Her heart couldn’t handle the idea that some kiddos wouldn’t have a gift for Christmas simply because of physical precautions. We have a virtual world in the palm of our hands. One that she built Stork Support with, working mostly on her phone in her pockets of time as a mother herself. She knew that she could create something to get around the physical barriers of a traditional Angel Tree program.

Many families couldn’t make it to an in-person sign up for Christmas support during 2020 as well as many supporters that wanted to help couldn’t make it to a physical Angel Tree to pick a child’s information to support. So Lisa created a virtual Angel Tree using the free resources available to a small business owner – Google Forms. 

Her goal was also to do things differently in leaving no child behind. She always worried with traditional Angel Trees that one child in the family might get picked, but not all the siblings. It’s fun to get the baby items, but were the teenagers in the family left out?

​So instead of committing to one child, she challenged our community to support a family as a whole. This decision sparked a light that has become a flame of Stork Support’s purpose – Connection. The outcome became such great connection as neighbors were truly getting to know each other and supporting each other. We continue to see this amazing level of gratitude from both receiving and giving families. 

With using Facebook, Google Forms and Email, Lisa was able to connect 38 families with a supporter family or group for Christmas. Her own heart was filled with joy as the totes of wrapped presents started to show up on her front porch. She worked to arrange pick up from the receiving family or delivered the gifts herself. With her typical services being put on hold for the nonprofit formation and handoff, her home was filled with service again, this time she was serving Christmas joy!

In 2021 we recognized that this was a program that had to continue. Many families were still lacking in-person access to Christmas support programs in Northern Colorado and if it wasn’t an issue with transportation, it was not being able to fulfil all the requirements.

Many resources in our community require documentation to receive services, such as proof of identification, proof of residency and proof guardianship. Many families in our community to do have access to the resources needed to provide such documentation. For example a birth certificate can cost anywhere from $20 to $50. For some that is a meal for their family or more. If you don’t have access to transportation, does it make sense to pay for an Uber to ask for charity? If you are living in a hotel or home-hopping with friends, there is no such thing as proof of residency. 

Despite these hurdles, these families never let go of the dream of providing Christmas magic for their children. Stork Support believes in this dream too and works to remove these barriers.

A question we get often is how do you know someone actually needs help? The answer is a simple one in our opinion: They ask for it.

So, we launched our second Virtual Angel Tree sign up and were a bit overwhelmed. Within less than two hours, more than 90 families had signed up requesting support for Christmas. A little over our goal of 40 families to beat the pervious 38. We didn’t know if our community would be able to meet the need.

We were surprised, amazed and also regained our confidence in the abundance within our community when 38 families were matched with their Christmas Angel in only two days! We kept loading more families to the SignUp Genius, another free resource, until 91 families were matched with a committed supporter.

Now it was both Lisa and Nikola’s, our current Executive Director, front porches that were being loaded up. And once again our community showed up with care, kindness and so much Christmas joy! The presents were wrapped beautifully. They were placed in storage bins with care to keep them clean and ready for Christmas morning. And this time it wasn’t just Lisa coordinating all the pick ups and deliveries. From those that signed up to support a family, 50 volunteered to deliver the gifts as well! It was a Christmas to remember for sure with a community that showed up in so many ways.

In 2022 our goal is to match at least 50 families with a supporter for Christmas. We’d love to match more, but we know this year has been incredibly difficult for everyone. This year our sign up for support was filled up within less than an hour. That means more than one family every minute was signing up.

Requirements have changed a bit as our growing organization is still run out of Nikola’s home. In order to continue to serve our community’s needs for maternity, postpartum and newborn essentials as well as being an emergency service for those in the community that do not have what they need to feed, diaper or bathe their baby, Nikola’s house is already at capacity and can not be a drop off/pick up location for Christmas gifts as well. So this year the requirements are that those that receive will have to communicate with those that give and vice versa to coordinate pick up or delivery. 

In today’s society that can feel really awkward. Who even uses their phone to make actual phone calls today anyway? However, this is the connection that we spoke of in the beginning. It is powerful! And it is what makes our community so special. When you get to meet who you are serving, when you get to meet who has committed to supporting you, everything changes. Your heart changes. The way you see things changes. The way you think about your community changes. And it is a very good change. It is the type of change that grows your heart, your commitment. It is the type of change that roots you to the truth that we are all inherently worthy.

Now you know how this beautiful program got started and where it’s going in its third year. One day we hope to have an automated system with endless capacity. We will continue to dream big. In the meantime, can you bring the dream of Christmas joy to a family in need this year. Sign up HERE to commit to supporting a family today and we promise you, you will experience the magic.

Although I don’t know any details yet on where and when the event will be held, I would love to invite anyone who is interested in donating to this event.
The idea is that whoever donates a diaper bag can add any items to it you felt were essential to be in a diaper bag when you were out and about with your baby.
Moms who are interested in receiving a diaper bag will sign up to receive one (depending on how many we get donated). During the event, these moms can come and choose a bag they like, but they are not allowed to look inside until after they choose which bag they want. So it’s basically like a mystery diaper bag. 😀

• Newborn Diapers
• Swaddle or light blanket
• new newborn pacifier
• Pack of wipes
• Diaper cream
• Hand lotion for mom
• lip balm for mom
• hair tie for mom
• infant socks or no scratch mittens
• reusable nursing pads
• and whatever else we come across

I will start getting in touch with some companies about potentially donating a product of theirs to add to our diaper bags.

On Saturday September 29th, Stork Support will be participating at the NoCo Baby Expo at the Ranch in Loveland. This will be the first time Stork Support will be involved in such an event. We are so excited to be included at this event!

If you are planning on attending this show, please stop by our table and say hi.

NoCo Baby Expo will have several vendors available to collect great resources and information for any expectant mother and for those who are already mothers. There will also be a very fun kid zone where little kids can let out all of their energy.
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Stork Support will also have a glitter tattoo artist available at our table.

Use the code EXPOTEN to purchase tickets for only $10!!!
Make sure you are following our facebook page and as we will be giving away free tickets to some lucky mothers

Find more information about the Baby Expo here