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Parents in the Hope Center’s Health With Hope program can take home a certified car seat for a younger child. The Hope Center bought 32 car seats with $1,800 from the Fayette County Foundation. The seats are EvenFlo and Safety First brands. The seats are convertible and can grow as the child grows from 5 pounds to 65 pounds, Tracy Wells, Hope Center’s development director, said. “The Hope Center provides car seats because our mission is to provide physical support to keep babies and toddlers safe,” she said. “The families in our community look to the Hope Center to fill the gap in their needs. We can do this by providing car seat safety training and an actual car seat.” To get one, parents must sign up for five classes. A program is usually scheduled on that first visit so they only have to come back for four trips, Wells said. Many who go through the class come back for more programs offered by the center.

“The Foundation is proud to help ensure that 32 infants will be provided with a new car seat that can be used until it is outgrown,” Katherine Good, foundation program officer, said. “We share the vision of the Hope Center that car seat safety is just an introduction to the many services they provide. We hope all families who receive a car seat this year also benefit from the advice and counsel available at the Hope Center.” In the past, the Hope Center had been able to distribute gently used car seats, but it has become increasingly difficult to take the donations because the center has no way of knowing if a car seat has been involved in a vehicular accident. If so, it is no longer a safe seat to use. The center has given out 16 car seats since January 2017 but has not been able to keep up with demand, Wells said.