DOVER, Del.- For pregnant women and new mothers in Kent County, there will soon be a new helping hand available.
The Do Care Doula Foundation's new Family Resource Center is set to open on W. Loockerman Street on Saturday Jan. 6 at noon.
Having commenced its services back in 2021 via pop-up venues and community outreach initiatives, this non-profit endeavors to tackle birth disparities predominantly impacting Black and Brown communities.
A study from Delaware's Child Death Review Commission covering the period from 2017 to 2021 highlighted a concerning trend: Black non-Hispanic women faced a higher likelihood of pregnancy-related fatalities compared to their White non-Hispanic counterparts.
Erica Allen, the founder of Do Care Doula, emphasized that a key aspect of addressing these discrepancies involves education and "teaching people how to advocate for themselves."
The newly established center aims to fulfill these objectives by offering doula training programs, fitness sessions, and support gatherings.
Executive Assistant, Gabi LaSalle, underscored the gratification derived from working as a doula.
"Every single experience is tailored to whatever that specific client needs it can vary to many different things whether they have a partner or not, whether they have family support or not," she said.
Allen outlined the foundation's ambition to train 40 doulas by the end of 2024.
Both Allen and LaSalle expect the foundation to thrive with a new community space.
"When you are building community, people need to have a place to physically come and be," LaSalle said. "We made it work virtually but it is not the same."
The resource center pledges to provide essentials like diapers, baby formula, clothing, and menstrual products to eligible individuals. Allen highlighted a pressing need for increased availability of these resources in southern Delaware.
"There are only two diaper banks in Delaware and both of them are located in Wilmington," she noted. "Delaware is more than only New Castle County."
Enrollment for the foundation's diaper bank is expected to open next week. The link to apply or donate can be found here.
