Greene County library launches donation drive for WIC baby shower

Greene County Library is turning a baby shower into a two-week donation drive, collecting diapers, wipes, baby blankets, clothes from newborn to 12 months, hygiene products, gift cards, infant detergent, bibs and diaper bags from July 15 through July 30 for Greene County WIC families.

The supplies will go directly to new and expectant moms enrolled in WIC and will be distributed at the community baby shower on August 20 at Faith Community United Methodist Church in Xenia. That list of requested items makes the goal plain: these are the everyday basics that can disappear fastest from a family budget after birth, especially when the need runs from diaper sizes to laundry detergent and the small gear that keeps a newborn routine moving.

The shower is tied to a program built around maternal and infant support. Greene County Public Health says WIC provides nutrition education, breastfeeding education and support, supplemental nutritious foods, and referrals to prenatal, pediatric and other health and human-service programs. Ohio’s WIC program describes the service as a preventative nutrition program for pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and children up to age 5, which is why a baby-focused collection drive lands so directly with families at this stage.

The event will be held at Faith Community United Methodist Church, 100 Country Club Dr., Xenia, OH 45385. Greene County WIC’s clinic is listed by the Ohio Department of Health at 360 Wilson Drive in Xenia, a reminder that the support network here runs through both public health offices and neighborhood institutions. Greene County Public Library has framed itself as more than a place for books and programs, and this drive puts that idea into practice by using the library as a community collection point for mothers and babies.

The county has used that kind of cross-institution setup before. A previous Greene County WIC baby shower promotion paired WIC with Fairborn Community Library and included door prizes, showing a pattern of library-based maternal support that reaches beyond one event. This year’s drive extends that model by asking residents to stock the shower first, then bring families together in August with the basics already in hand.