Local moms join national grassroots drive to collect baby carriers, supplies for Syrian refugees

Of all the images and stories of suffering experienced by refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria, few hit harder than the tales of hardship experienced by families with children seeking to escape the violence. To help assist these families in their time of need, a group of local mothers and activists have joined the national grassroots “Carry The Future” campaign to collect baby carriers and supplies to deliver to Syrian refugees entering Europe.

The Asheville organizers of the Carry The Future drive are calling for donations of baby carriers, socks, hats, snacks, toys and other small items that can fit in a carrier pouch from residents of western North Carolina. Donations will be accepted at the local businesses Nest, Papoose and Littlest Birds between now and Monday, December 14. The gathered materials will then be shipped to the final collection in California and subsequently distributed directly to refugees in Greece seeking asylum.

“I first heard about Carry the Future on the Today show, shortly after the events in Paris,” says Michaelyn Foy, one of the organizers of the Asheville chapter. “Carry the Future was initially a small grassroots campaign out of California with the intention of collecting baby carriers to deliver to Syrian refugees, some of whom have to carry their babies hundreds of miles.”

Since then, the campaign has gone viral, adds Foy, with over three thousand volunteers from across the country and supply drives in numerous towns and cities. “In my opinion, every mother can sympathize with the scary, exhausting thought of carrying your baby or child for hundreds of miles over unknown territory,” she says. “In the U.S., almost every mother I know uses some kind of baby carrier and it makes even simple activities that much easier and more comfortable for both the baby and the parent.”

Volunteers quickly coordinated through the Carry The Future Facebook page and decided to bring the campaign to the mountains this holiday season. “Watching and hearing about the plight of these refugee families has brought many of us to tears,” Foy says. “Although this may seem like a small gesture, it feels like the right thing to do, from parent to parent.”

The Asheville chapter coordinators are also seeking help with funds to ship the supplies to California after the drive, according to Foy. Donations to help with shipping can be made at any of the three participating drop-off stores.

Carry The Future requests that all donated carriers be soft-structured. No car seats, metal frames, strollers, wraps or slings can be accepted.

“I don’t know a mother who hasn’t felt the gravity of this cause,” Foy says. “It is so important for the children’s safety, comfort and can help a family with so little feel comforted.”

For more information on the Carry The Future campaign, a list of items you can donate, to volunteer or to inquire about being part of the group that delivers the goods to Syrian refugees in Greece, visit carrythefuture.org.