“Wee”cycling Baby Gear to Help Families in Need

Welcoming a new baby can be one of the most exciting times in a parent’s life – and one of the busiest! Beyond the sleepless nights and frequent feedings, babies have needs ranging from cribs and car seats to onesies, diapers and toys. For families living in poverty, this time of transition and change can feel especially strained due to limited household budgets.

The average cost of a baby’s first year is around $16,000 (becu.org). A single mom, expecting her first baby and needing financial assistance, will receive only $466 in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) monthly benefits, totaling just $5,592 in a year. Those TANF dollars can’t stretch nearly enough to cover the cost of a baby’s first year.

Recognizing the gap between the limits of our participants’ budgets and the costs of raising a child, CWEE set out to find new resources for our participants. More than a decade ago, we learned about the incredible work WeeCycle does connecting community members in need to essential baby gear at no cost, and we’ve been proud to partner with them ever since!

WeeCycle has been supporting families in our community for more than 15 years, since they opened their doors in 2008. WeeCycle’s mission is twofold, to support families with infants and toddlers struggling to provide for their children, and to contribute to a healthier, more sustainable planet for future generations. WeeCycle walks alongside families, caregivers, and caseworkers to restore dignity for those struggling to provide for their families by connecting them to essential supplies such as formula, a safe place for their baby to sleep, a stroller so they can access public transportation and so much more.

WeeCycle is working hard to improve the lives of local families in need. They collect, “weecycle” and match essential baby gear to families through partner organizations focused on alleviating poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, teen pregnancy, under-employment and other challenges. By “weecycling” baby gear to meet children’s basic needs, WeeCycle helps keep them healthy and safe and contributes to a cleaner environment for their future.

WeeCycle’s impact on our participants and their families cannot be understated. In 2024 alone, we were able to serve 258 families, distributing 11,917 items. The total value of the items we distributed was more than $66,000!

On a cold and cloudy winter morning, Michael, CWEE’s Director of Operations, made his weekly trip to WeeCycle to pick up baby gear for several CWEE families in need. He then travelled across the city to make a delivery to Abreshana’s home. Abreshana recently welcomed her second child and received a crib, mattress and other baby gear from WeeCycle. Michael makes deliveries to participants who do not have transportation, ensuring their WeeCycle gear gets to them. He’s pictured below with Abreshana during one of his weekly WeeCycle deliveries.

Abreshana chatted with us during the delivery about how excited her family was to get ready to welcome a new member, and how grateful she was to receive the baby gear. She said “As a single parent with no employment, it’s so helpful to get these resources.”

WeeCycle is just one of the many amazing partners we work with to offer a wide range of resources to our participants designed to reduce stress and enable them to focus on their employment and education goals. Thanks to the collaborative relationships we have with several other metro-Denver non-profits and businesses, we are able to offer food, diapers, cleaning supplies, hygiene items and professional clothing to our participants.

As you know, CWEE and other outstanding nonprofit organizations throughout our community cannot succeed without your help! If you’re interested in donating your gently used baby gear to WeeCycle, you can check out their website at www.weecycle.org to learn more!