Saturday Strolling and How You Can Support Crisis Pregnancy Centres

Yesterday morning, I took a break from studying Mandarin to attend the First Response Relay in support of Toronto's Pregnancy Care Centre. I was initially asked to help do set-up and hadn't planned on doing the walk, but when I saw a few friends there, I decided to join in.  We had a chilly start, but warmed up as we walked around 5km and recapping it now gives me a chance to share about this amazing organization.  It was a great way to get some exercise on a Saturday morning and meet people from all over the city who support the PCC.  I even met one of my favourite bloggers, and ended up introducing myself and looking like an awkward groupie. 

Enjoying some awesome music

I've been involved with the PCC for a few months now.  I started thinking about how much time and energy I had spent celebrating the pregnancies of friends and family, while there are so many people for whom becoming pregnant is more stressful than celebratory.  Many churches talk about being pro-life, but I wanted to be more about practical help than about politics.  Anyway, I signed up to attend a training day; this provided background information and practical help on how to respond when someone tells you about an unexpected pregnancy, although I found the tools and role playing transferable to other situations where someone is in crisis.  Since then, I've helped in a few small ways, like doing internet research and monitoring email. 

How can you support your local crisis pregnancy centre?  

• Assist with word-of-mouth, sharing with people you know, especially those who are more likely to come into conduct with someone in a crisis pregnancy, like teachers, guidance counselors, youth workers, etc.    
• Donate your time:  It doesn't mean you'll be counseling people; you could help moving furniture or other items that are donated to women in need, or like me, you could do internet research.
• You can donate used baby items or products that you don't need or like (e.g., diapers from a brand that doesn't fit right or in an outgrown size, formula if you're breastfeeding, wipes when you plan on using re-usable ones).  Many people pass on baby items to friends, but at least in my circle of friends, I don't know anyone who truly cannot afford that box of diapers.