Sometimes, a woman in need is just a neighborhood away. When a pregnant mother faces a vulnerable moment, the most powerful response is to meet her where she is, not just physically and emotionally—but financially. 

After all, the most considerable financial cost associated with babies is diapers. Typically, parents spend between $840 and $1,000 per year per child in the United States. For low-income families, this expense can account for up to 14% of their after-tax income.   

But what if diapers didn’t have to feel like a financial burden?   

That’s where Students for Life of America’s (SFLA) Campaign for Abortion Free Cities (AFC) comes in. Every year, Campaign for Abortion Free Cities Community Advocates across the country put on Summer of Service events, and this summer is no exception! The Summer of Service is an opportunity to give away (yes, for FREE) diapers in communities everywhere to share hope and raise awareness about the pregnancy preparation and parenting help that exists.    

This year, the Summer of Service occurred in 31 locations.  Some places collected so many diapers that they are planning to organize a second Summer of Service! In total, we have given away 12,225 diapers and served 474 women. This means money saved and greater awareness of where they can go for continued support right in their city! Here is a glimpse of what these service events looked like:   

Kansas City, Kansas  

“After an hour of prayer, we took to the streets where we passed out 148 diapers! These diapers were enough to help ten local mothers and families. There was one story that stuck out to me most. A mother I talked to asked if there was a catch when it came to receiving the free resources we were offering. I told her no and that there are dozens of places in the greater Kansas City area willing to help, often at no cost. She looked at me and smiled, thanked me for what we were doing, and explained that she has struggled to qualify for government programs because she makes just over the threshold for most of them.”  

– Midwest Regional Coordinator, William Anderson  

Fort Worth, Texas  

“The Summer of Service events in Fort Worth were full of energy! Volunteers felt like, perhaps for the first time, they were truly building a culture of Life in their community, filling a gap of both physical need and community education. One woman we met during the Summer of Service works at a local hospital. She took about 20 of our Standing With You door hangers to pass out to those in need of pregnant or parenting help that she comes across!”   

– Texas Regional Coordinator, Megan Roos   

Cincinnati, Ohio   

“One of the first homes we visited was a single mother who had just moved to the area. She said she’d been praying that she would find some help for her and her child, as they don’t have very much and are living on a very tight budget. She told us that we must have been the answer to her prayers. We gave her diapers and wipes and showed her that she lives only one block away from her local pregnancy help center, and she thanked us and let us know she will be going there.”   

“We also met a man named Charles who was trying to move a fridge into his home. He lived alone, and this fridge was far too heavy for him to move. A couple of us offered to help him guide it into his garage, and after we finished, he asked what we were doing. When we explained the Summer of Service, he told us he is a landlord of an apartment nearby with a resident who had just had a baby! He asked for a flyer for her so she’d have information on the pregnancy help center, and he could refer her there. He let us know he is Catholic and works in social work, so he is always looking for more life-affirming resources to share with women. He is glad to share StandingWithYou.org!”   

– Standing With You Advocate, Nicholas Cech

Portland, Oregon  

“On Saturday, June 28th, volunteers met to knock on doors and offer baby supplies to those in need. It was a slow start, with very few people at home. About an hour into our door-knocking, we met a young woman coming out of an apartment complex who told us there was a parade on MLK at 11 a.m. We realized this would be an excellent opportunity to meet young mothers and offer resources, and that we would likely have more success providing diapers, wipes, and resource information. Sure enough, the street was soon lined with neighbors from all over the area for the Good in the Hood parade and festival.  

After the parade, we headed over to the festival, where we met many moms, including a woman who said her 18-year-old daughter just found out she was pregnant. She came to us seeking help for her daughter. We were able to give her our resource sheet, literature from Standing With You, a MyOptions QR code card, and some diapers. She was very encouraged by the information!  

By 2:00 p.m., we had reached 89 neighbors, had 49 conversations, and 37 individuals were activated to spread the word. We gave away 890 diapers, 17 packs of wipes, five baby clothes sets, two baby shampoo/soap bottles, and one baby blanket! We realized that these summer events provide an excellent opportunity for Standing With You advocates to connect very personally with the community and provide help in a friendly atmosphere. We are thankful to God for such a successful day in Portland.”   

– Campaign for Abortion Free Cities Leader, Julie   

Indianapolis, Indiana  

“We knocked on a door that had a stroller and car seat on the porch, but no one answered. So we decided to leave a few packages of wipes in the stroller seat. As we were walking away from the house, a man came walking up from the sidewalk, and we quickly realized he was the resident of the house. We explained to him what we were in the neighborhood for and that we had left him some baby supplies on the porch, and he was so overjoyed! He ended up telling us that ‘we had no idea how much he needed these supplies’ and shared that he and his family had been struggling, so of course, we gave him more! All in all, we gave out 300 diapers, 1920 wipes, 13 cans of formula, nine bottles of baby soap, and a door hangar for each door we knocked on. It was a great day. My volunteers did a great job, and I’m so glad we were able to bless so many families with needed supplies.”  

– Indianapolis Regional Coordinator, Maddie Green  

Ann Arbor, Michigan  

“While distributing baby items for Summer of Service, I met Angela, who said she had a single mom friend due in October with a baby girl, who has no support. Due to our abundance of generous donations, I allowed Angela to select 27 outfits and 104 diapers for her friend, as well as 15 outfits to give to her two pregnant cousins. Angela said she’d be sure to share our Standing With You door hanger with her friend. Shortly after, she and her husband invited me to their church event that night so I could distribute baby items to more families and speak with the pastor and his wife about the mission of Standing With You and Students for Life.  

Later that evening, I found out why the pro-life cause is so important and personal to Angela: I noticed on the back of her arm she had a tattoo of a baby in the womb, surrounded by the words ‘He heals the brokenhearted Psalm 147:3.’ I asked what the tattoo represents. She shared, ‘My first baby was a forced abortion. My boyfriend at the time threatened to beat me if I didn’t do what he said.’ She said she still has dreams about her aborted baby and is waiting for God to reveal the baby’s name in a dream, just like He did for her miscarried baby.”  

– Michigan Regional Coordinator, Morgan Reece  

Waxhaw, North Carolina   

Our team knocked on 90 doors, had 60 conversions, gave away 447 diapers, and was able to serve 40 women. It was our first official Campaign for Abortion Free Cities door-knocking event. While we were door-knocking, we noticed a block party, so we went over to see if anyone was interested in baby supplies. We walked up to this lady with a stroller, and we gave her some baby supplies. We got talking to her, and she invited us to work with her church to spread the pro-life message! I was so blessed that we did it in this specific neighborhood because it surrounds a Planned Parenthood. The shock on some people’s faces when we told them about our local women’s help centers and what they offered for free was a fantastic experience. Everyone was really open to the information and asked for multiple items for themselves and other women.”   

– Campaign for Abortion Free Cities Leader, Nora Henkel  

Ventura, California  

“Our team was able to give away 224 diapers and 190 clothing items. 18 toys, nine blankets, and eight cans of baby formula. We also knocked on 160 doors and had 70 conversations. One of our volunteers shared that ‘Summer of Service inspired me to put something like this on for Respect Life Month at my local church.’ It was incredible to have volunteers experience the real impact they can make by sharing awareness of resources available to women in their own community. It was also impressive how many of their neighbors had never heard about the local resources that were actively impacting the lives of women in difficult situations.   

– Campaign for Abortion Free Cities Leader, Jaquie Ojeda  

Lakeland, Florida  

“This was the Lakeland Campaign for Abortion Free Cities‘ first event! My favorite encounter from the day was the last man we were able to serve. He was unloading his truck, and I approached him, when I shared with him that we were passing out free baby products, he immediately lit up and said Yes! His daughter’s son just turned a year old, and from what I could gather, I’m pretty sure she lives with them. I gave him a couple of door hangers and explained what Standing With You is. He was so grateful and said he’d definitely give the info to his daughter. He thanked us multiple times for the products and said this was genuinely perfect timing.”  

– Campaign for Abortion Free Cities Leader, Elizabeth Hawkins   

Austin, Texas  

“The first door I knocked on, an older woman answered while picking up a crawling baby. She let me know that there were three homes on the street for ‘sober living.’ She said two of the houses had mothers with little ones, and she was glad to accept diapers and wipes for them.  

At another home we visited, we met a grandmother who was so excited that she asked to volunteer with us in the future! She shared that years ago, her daughter had a rare form of cancer and was told she’d never have children. Now, her daughter is due to have her third baby in October! It was encouraging to hear about the sweet miracle, and we, of course, left diapers and wipes for her grandchildren.”  

– Campaign for Abortion Free Cities Leader, Faith Elwonger   

Tampa, Florida  

“For our Tampa Summer of Service event on August 16th. We distributed 404 items to families in need. Which included 185 diapers, 205 wipes, a pack of formula, four bottles of soap, six onesies, and three baby bibs. We were able to knock on 72 doors. Afterward, we donated the supplies to our local pregnancy center, ‘A Woman’s Place,’ where four other students from the University of South Florida and I received a tour from the director of the clinic. Three of the students were doing their first time door-knocking. What a fantastic experience it was to not only door-knock but also to give back to families in need.  

One really cool story happened right when we started door-knocking. A young woman answered the door, and I introduced myself, letting her know we were in the neighborhood, passing out baby supplies like diapers and wipes to anyone who would like them. Do you know of anyone, or would you maybe need an extra hand with some baby supplies?  

She replied, ‘Well, I’m actually 10 weeks pregnant. And I don’t know what I’m having. So I’ll take whatever you can give. Diapers, wipes, you name it!’ A student and I went back down to get the new mom a pack of diapers, wipes, baby soap, and a few onesies. I gave her our flyer, as well as the card from our local pregnancy center, five minutes up the road. And explained what Standing With You was. And that ‘A Woman’s Place’ center just down the street has a lot more supplies for you if you need them. They also offer free STI Testing, Pregnancy test, prenatal checks, ultrasounds, and it’s all free. You don’t need health insurance.  

She replied, ‘Thank you so much, this is such a huge blessing! Have a great day!'” 

– Florida Regional Coordinator, Kristen Marias   

St. Louis, Missouri  

“Our Summer of Service project was inspiring. It was invigorating to interact with moms and dads who were excited and thankful for diapers, wipes, and clothes. They were all thrilled and appreciative. My favorite part was working with a maintenance man from the apartment complex. He made it his mission to help us serve the new moms in the complex. He would alert us and tell us about a mom with a newborn and gather the appropriate supplies. A few minutes later, he would report back with their messages of gratitude. This happened several times. It was just fun to watch this man so excited in sharing what we had with his people.”  

– Ozarks Regional Coordinator, Morgan Tiemeyer   

Louisville, Kentucky  

“Doing Summer of Service was such a fantastic way to get students and the community involved in serving Louisville. One standout from the day was when we knocked on the door of a woman who didn’t speak English. Not content to leave without making sure that she was helped, one of our volunteers used a translation app and was able to find out that she had two children at home and needed both diapers and wipes. We were able to give her both and connect her with StandingWithYou.Org for the future.   

While we were door-knocking, we saw that many houses had ‘I Stand With Planned Parenthood’ signs in their yards. We were glad that we were able to be in the same neighborhood and show people that there are nonviolent alternatives to Planned Parenthood. It also highlighted to our volunteers how important it is to help get the word out about Pregnancy Resource Centers, which (unlike Planned Parenthood) provide free services to women. People were grateful to hear about Standing With You, and we have Abortion Free Cities to thank!  

In one neighborhood, we had several people answer the doors, and when asked, they all pointed to one house where their neighbor had just given birth to a baby. We headed there as we were leaving and gave them free diapers and wipes for their newborn. It was such a beautiful reminder of why we do what we do, to protect babies and serve families in the community. Life is beautiful and worth fighting for, and we won’t stop until Louisville is abortion free!”  

– Appalachian Regional Coordinator, Rebekah Keith   

Allentown, Pennsylvania   

“Our Students for Life team brought four volunteers to Allentown for a day dedicated to serving families in need. Partnering with Bright Hope Pregnancy Centers, we went door-to-door in the neighborhood to share information about local pregnancy resource centers and to deliver free diapers, wipes, and formula. In total, we distributed 474 diapers, 1,616 wipes, and 22 formulas, knocked on 101 doors, and had 70 meaningful conversations with residents.

When we ran out of supplies, one of our student volunteers generously purchased an additional $200 worth of items, allowing us to continue serving. Midway through the day, we came across a nearby community festival. We set up with our wagon of supplies and began distributing them directly to families attending the event. One memorable encounter was with a woman who expressed deep gratitude for our efforts, especially after we explained the difference between Planned Parenthood and local Pregnancy Help Centers (PHCs). She thanked us for bringing clarity and compassion to the community. It was a day full of generosity, impactful conversations, and tangible help for families in Allentown.”  

– Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator, Julia Sadik  

Colorado Springs, Colorado  

It was a great way to capstone the summer with the Campaign for Abortion Free Cities, Summer of Service, here in the Springs. We had over 450 diapers donated, along with other necessities a young family could use! After knocking on doors in our community, we went to a local park and were able to serve even more neighbors in need. They had pure joy and excitement on their faces when they reached into the wagon of goodies and took diapers, wipes, school supplies, and toiletries! Several other families were playing at the park that did not have material needs but wanted to utilize Standing With You to share resources from their business and with their churches. It was such a fun and helpful event!    

– Colorado Springs, Abortion Free Cities Community Partner, Laurel Anne Flahive  

When the Pro-Life Generation (PLG) says we love both mother and child, we mean it—and that love doesn’t pause between semesters. 

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