Eastside Baby Corner (EBC) – Northshore has expanded its presence from operating out of Bothell United Methodist Church to a place of its own in Kenmore.

To celebrate, a grand opening event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon May 19 at the new location, 6524 NE 181st St., Suite 6. A ribbon-cutting ceremony, featuring Kenmore Mayor David Baker, will be part of the festivities.

EBC – Northshore collects donated items including everything from diapers, clothing and personal care items to strollers, toys and books to distribute to area kids and families in need. They distribute items for kids ages 12 and younger.

EBC doesn’t directly give its donations to those in need; instead, the organization partners with local service providers to give them the supplies for their clients.

“It’s important to have people connected to services,” Edie Herb, who has been an EBC volunteer for 14 years, said of the reasoning behind working with providers. “We want to make sure the children can get as much help as is needed.”

Thursday is known as distribution day at EBC – Northshore, and a group of regular volunteers worked to sort through donations and make sure the 117 items were ready for the service providers to pick up last week.

“Anybody can volunteer here,” Julie Bredja said, indicating an age range from teenagers to seniors. “People can show up and know they’re making a difference.”

The service providers that collect items from the Northshore location include Northshore Youth and Family Services (NYFS) and Children’s Home Society of Washington (CHS).

“We work with a lot of pregnant moms who don’t have anything,” CHS supervisor Rachel Borella said during a recent visit to EBC – Northshore. “We’re really so glad (EBC – Northshore) is in this space. It’s made it easier for families to get things they need.”

“Without the baby corner, we couldn’t help our clients with all of their needs,” Marie Forbes, a NYFS social worker, added.

Borella relayed one example of how an item donated from EBC has impacted a local family: A 20-year-old mother of a 2-year-old and 1-year-old had to walk three blocks to the bus with both of her kids every day, worrying about keeping them from running into traffic. CHS obtained a double-occupancy stroller through EBC to assist the young mother.

“She doesn’t worry about the boys being safe anymore,” Borella said.

For more information, including specifics on volunteering and donating items, visit babycorner.org/eastside-baby-corner-northshore.

Volunteers Allison Schmidt and Anne Dahlin sort donated clothing at Eastside Baby Corner – Northshore. All of the donations are meticulously organized to make it easy to grab the correct items for service providers who come by the Kenmore location to collect items for their clients. CATHERINE KRUMMEY / Kenmore Reporter