Pierce County baby shower adds literacy day, free family resources

Pierce County is turning a baby shower into a literacy event, and that is exactly the point. Storybook Beginnings Community Baby Shower and Family Literacy Day will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at the Pierce County Gym in Blackshear, with organizers using newborn support as a way to push early reading, family services and child safety all at once.

Stephanie Bell, director of Pierce County Family Connection, told the Rotary Club about the event and said the Storybook Garden will feature volunteers reading to children. That detail gets at the strategy behind the whole setup: reading is not being treated as an add-on, but as part of the welcome package for new parents and young children. Organizers say the event is expected to draw families from across Pierce County and beyond, giving it the feel of a countywide family resource day rather than a one-stop handout.

The resource list is substantial. Families will be able to pick up free diapers, wipes, books and other family resources. Qualifying families may also receive Pack ’n Plays and free car seats. Alongside the giveaways, the day will include car seat safety checks, child ID fingerprinting and identification kits, free food and a stroller parade with prizes for the best-decorated stroller. For parents, that mix makes the event less about a single giveaway and more about a practical entry point into services they can use long after the tables are cleared.

The partnership behind Storybook Beginnings reflects that broader purpose. Pierce County Family Connection, the Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, the Department of Public Health, Memorial Satilla Hospital and the Pierce County Recreation Department are organizing the event together. Organizers are still seeking local businesses, organizations and community partners, especially restaurants and eateries willing to provide free food. Vendors are being encouraged to lean into the theme, with storybook decorations, costumes and booth designs, and awards are planned for best storybook booth, most interactive booth and the kids’ choice award.

That approach fits the way Pierce County Family Connection describes its work as a local decision-making body that brings partners together to improve child and family well-being. It also lines up with Georgia Family Connection’s early literacy framework, which emphasizes language nutrition for infants and toddlers, access to services, safe and nurturing learning environments and evidence-informed instruction. In a state where Georgia Family Connection Partnership says child and family well-being ranks 39th in the nation in KIDS COUNT materials, Storybook Beginnings reads like a local answer to a larger problem.

Pierce County, established in 1857, has made Blackshear its county seat, and Pierce County Family Connection is based at 707 Hendry St. in Blackshear, with the local office listed at 912-230-7835. For a county event, this one is built like a full service point: books, diapers, safety checks and reading, all under one roof.