Be a Secret Santa for Families in Need

Your generosity can make a truly meaningful difference—helping us brighten the holidays for less-fortunate families that are enrolled in the Baby Love and Building Healthy Children programs through Strong Memorial Hospital’s Social Work and Patient and Family Services.

Together, these 135 families represent 190 babies, infants, toddlers and children from throughout our area. The majority of mothers in BHC and Baby Love are head of household and employed in various essential service industries. They are working hard to balance demanding work hours while providing care for their young and school-age children during the pandemic.

Be a Secret Santa: A Great Way to Give
The program is in need of gift card donations for parents to purchase gifts for their children. 
We encourage gift card donations from easily accessible retailers, such as Walmart, Wegmans, Target, Price Rite, Tops, Amazon, or local dollar stores.

With your gift card donations this holiday season, these hardworking, yet under-resourced parents will be able to shop for toys, activities, books and other meaningful gifts on their own, while still affording the household essentials, such as diapers, cleaning supplies, and groceries for wholesome family meals during the holidays. Rest assured, everything donated will go to families who are most in need.

All gift cards will need to be received—unwrapped—by 12 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10 in order to give our case workers time to gather, arrange and equitably distribute these gifts.
 

• If you are on-site, please drop-off your donation at the Friends of Strong office 1-1230. If you are at an off-site location and would like someone to pick up your donations, please let me know.
• Or feel free to mail your donation to:
            Friends of Strong
            C/O Emily Teitsworth
            601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 660
            Rochester, NY 14642

If these options are not convenient for you, please contact me at emily_teitsworth@urmc.rochester.edu to arrange for me to meet you at a hospital entrance to receive your donation.

On behalf of the Building Healthy Children and Baby Love programs,  Friends of Strong, and all of the Strong Memorial Hospital social workers, THANK YOU! We are truly grateful for your thoughtfulness and generosity. This is a very meaningful way to observe the holiday season and to make a difference in the lives of families who are less fortunate. Remember, no amount is too small to donate!

More about Building Healthy Children
The Building Healthy Children (BHC) program provides home-based support services for young women who were 21 or younger when their first child was born OR who are in their second or third trimester of pregnancy. Families have no more than three children, with the oldest child being under age 5. A pair of family support providers offer assistance with transportation, obtaining safe housing, and obtaining employment and educational goals. Providers also offer information on parenting and child development, parent-child relationships and counseling services. Families can be involved in BHC until their child turns 3 years old.

More about Baby Love
The Baby Love program operates under the Social Work Department of Strong Memorial Hospital, and serves low income pregnant women and their families to promote positive birth outcomes. Services are provided primarily by a Community Health Worker and address barriers in accessing health care, benefits, securing essential goods, linkage to community resources, supportive counseling, and education through the Partners for a Healthy Baby Curriculum, to promote healthy behaviors and positive mother infant attachment.
 

Emily A. Teitsworth | 10/31/2025