Community donates care packages for babies

Hannah McNulty knows first hand the struggles associated with helping raise a premature baby. This holiday season, she has decided to provide parents of infants who are born prematurely with a early Christmas present.
                                           

Through the help of local sponsors, McNulty was able to donate 15 totes full of heart-felt cards, diapers, wipes, blankets, gift cards, lotion and lip balms to Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Hospital. Attached to each donated tote is a purple ribbon which symbolizes prematurity awareness.

Giving back to the community is important to McNulty because her brother, who was born six weeks early, was placed in special care. The same young man who doctors feared would not make it past birth is now healthy and will be turning 14 in January.

“My family didn’t have to spend time over the holidays in special care, but we thought it would be nice to help those who do,” she said in a news release.

Jesus and Erika Delgado, who on Dec. 21 welcomed Lorenzo Delgado into their family, were the first couple to receive one of the Christmas totes. They were more than pleased to get some extra assistance during the holiday.

“The thing that feels the greatest is the idea of someone expressing the love of humanity to their fellow human beings,” said Jesus Delgado. “It really warms your heart that there are people out there thinking of people in general and it makes everyone who hears the story want to do the same.”

St. Rita’s clinical nurse manger for labor and delivery, Lisa Shafer, said the hospital is always grateful to receive donations for the babies because they know it will have a great impact on the families.

“We understand that it can be difficult for families to not be home over the holidays, and donations like these help bring smiles to their faces and a festive air to our hospital,” she stated in a news release.