WORCESTER – For many young military parents, the free diapers and formula they receive from the Sully Strong Baby Pantry is hands down a welcomed “hand up.”
William H. Moore, a disabled U.S. Air Force veteran, established Project New Hope Inc. in 2011 to assist service members and their families with the challenges they face during and after military service.
The volunteer-driven nonprofit expanded its services in January with the opening of Central and Western Massachusetts military baby pantries.
The pantries provide new nursery items, toys, diapers and formula, as well as clothing for infants through teens at no charge to active military members, veterans and their families.
The Worcester location, Sully Strong Baby Pantry, at 70 James St., Suite 157, is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays.
“The people coming in here are the young service members. They aren’t making a lot of money, probably $20,000 to $30,000 a year. Money is tight, so the clothing, toys and diapers are a big help,” Mr. Moore said.
Pantry volunteer Vivian Stom said it was a slow start in January but word is spreading and today, she sees eight to 10 military parents per week.
“It’s not a handout, it’s a hand up; don’t feel embarrassed,” is the message Ms. Stom wants military families to hear.
For her, volunteering to support the military community, active and retired, she said, is about the “joy of helping.”
“I’m seeing moms come in who are active, and moms whose husbands are deployed, and fathers whose wives are deployed,” Ms. Stom said. “They have welcomed the assistance.”
Presently, the items in greatest demand are diapers, wipes, formula, and bath products.
Mr. Moore said his efforts to open the pantries have been “very blessed” by private and corporate donations of goods and money. Sponsors include Carter’s, Babies R Us and Toys R Us, Gymboree, and Ocean State Job Lot.
The baby pantry in Worcester was named after Mr. Moore’s mother, whose maiden name was Sullivan, nicknamed Sully.
A second location is Scarlett’s Baby Pantry, 476 Appleton St., Holyoke.
“There’s a lot of vets living out in Western Mass. and we really didn’t have many services there,” Mr. Moore said of his decision expand to Holyoke.
The Holyoke pantry is named after the daughter of Brook Calloway, a Project New Hope volunteer.
The volunteer work for Mr. Moore is about duty and his mission to help his community by providing targeted services, and what he calls the “healing power of mutual support and the camaraderie of friends.”
The staple service of Project New Hope is its weekend-long wilderness retreats tailored for the needs of veterans and their families. Each retreat accommodates 20 or so families and focuses on specific issues, such as PTSD, warriors’ grief, LGBTQ, caregiving, and women veterans.
With a hand full of volunteers, Project New Hope also offers drop-in groups, community events, education, employment workshops, veterans benefits solutions, outings and client-centered holistic healing.
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