By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The Barton County Health Department's Community Baby Shower continues to grow. The event went from 16 vendors in its first year to approximately 30 vendors last year. The baby shower returns to Jack Kilby Square in downtown Great Bend on Thursday, June 15. Sarai Prieto, WIC clerk and breastfeeding peer counselor at the health department, said new families can learn and win at the event.
"It's just a bunch of resources that families can get all at one time. If they're expecting, if they're about to give birth, or if they already gave birth, they'd have all these different resources in our community available to them."
Among the various vendors will be the Department of Children and Families to talk about cash assistance and food assistance programs. KanCare is ready to inform about state medical cards, area pediatricians will be ready to meet new families, and health department staff will educate on WIC services, breastfeeding, and car seat safety. The Great Bend Fire Department will provide information about Safe Sleep in an effort to reduce Sudden Unexpected Infant Death risks. Each vendor will also play a role in a bingo game for attendees.
"They'll get that card, they'll jump around from vendor to vendor, get that signed," Prieto said. "At the end, they'll give that back to us and we'll use that to do raffle prizes. Each vendor that comes in brings a door prize and that's what we raffle off."
The Community Baby Shower is scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. at Jack Kilby Square and is open to all members of the public.
"That information is always good for grandparents, aunts or uncles, or anyone that will be around or involved in the child's life," said Prieto.