Did you know that in the first year of their life, a baby will use about 3,000 diapers?  

This is a tremendous financial burden on families with young children. Fulfilling this need helps mothers feel supported and loved as they raise their little ones. When I decided what to focus on for my Standing With You (SWY) Fellowship project, I wanted to support moms on campus practically and tangibly. Many students at Florida International University (FIU) are a few years out of high school and have already started their families. The university has some programming for these students, such as a student on-campus daycare service for a discounted price, but I wanted to meet a need that hadn’t yet been addressed by our community. 

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For a college student with young children, daycare costs, tuition, textbooks, gas, food, and baby supplies begin to add up. FIU has a long-established student pantry providing free food and toiletry items. This could be a perfect space to supply free baby items to students since they have already visited and are familiar with how it functions. I contacted the student pantry director, and she thought it was a great idea! I took the necessary steps to get it officially approved and started it with a donation drive.  

My group worked tirelessly through the Fall and Spring semesters, collecting donations from churches around the community and students on campus who were passionate about helping mothers and their children. We have helped dozens of families. One student mom, who has two babies under two years old, told me how thankful she was for the resources. We also provided her with a stroller and other essential baby items. 

To date, we have collected over 11,000 diapers for the pantry and nearly 400 packs of wipes, shampoo, bottles, formula, and feminine products. We have also received over $2,500 in donations from students and community members who support our work. While these items and funds won’t solve all the challenges of parenthood, they help relieve the stress of knowing if your baby will have a clean diaper.  

To celebrate Mother’s Day in May, we partnered with a local church to collect even more donations. At the end of the month, we will bring items to our pantry on campus, providing enough diapers to last all summer. It’s so exciting to work with other pro-life advocates in the community to do even more for moms and babies.  

The Standing With You (SWY) Fellowship has significantly impacted my life. I now know that after graduation, I want to pursue a pro-life career. The National Leaders Collective has genuinely been an incredible experience. Over the year, I loved getting to know the other SWY Fellows sharing our projects and experiences in the pro-life movement. This has been a big encouragement, and I know I have long-lasting friendships.  

Though I have completed my project, my pro-life activism is far from over. I am a Student Spokesperson for the 2024-2025 school year, a voice for the pro-life movement. I’ll serve as the president of my SFLA group next year and continue to grow our group while supporting pregnant and parenting students through the baby supply pantry and other initiatives. I’m also spearheading a Campaign for Abortion Free Cities in Miami, which focuses on door-knocking to inform neighbors about pregnancy resources and urgent pro-life issues in their area.  

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