CMCA readies for 'Bingo for Babies' fundraiser. Tickets now available for Columbia event

Charles Dunlap, Columbia Daily Tribune
·2 min read

A fundraiser from Central Missouri Community Action next month will ensure the basic needs of low-income postpartum families are met.

Bingo for Babies 2024 is scheduled 5:30-8 p.m. May 9 at Sentinel Park in the Arcade District, 603 Fay St., in support of CMCA's Women's and Infant Relief Fund.

Tickets now are available for those 16 and up at $25. A person must be 16 to be able to play bingo. Tickets are limited and at least 11 have sold so far. CMCA also is taking donations for the relief fund and has raised about $160 of a $3,000 goal. Along with bingo, there is a cash bar, other games for the whole family and a silent auction.

Those under 16 can enter the event free, but it is asked that a free ticket is ordered so CMCA can get an accurate attendance count. A variety of activities will be available for those under 16. There was a bounce house, face painting and more last year.

Central Missouri Community Action Headstart Health Administrator Jackie Rivera calls bingo May 11, 2023, at the Bingo for Babies fundraiser at a space in the Arcade District of Columbia.
Central Missouri Community Action Headstart Health Administrator Jackie Rivera calls bingo May 11, 2023, at the Bingo for Babies fundraiser at a space in the Arcade District of Columbia.

"After noticing the immense needs of postpartum mothers served by Central Missouri Community Action Head Start, the Womens and Infant Relief Fund was created by seeking community donations," wrote Michelle Clark, CMCA administrative health assistant. "We know that percentage of postpartum depression and (inadvertent) child abuse rates can be reduced when basic needs are met."

The relief fund can provide postpartum families with diapers and wipes, seasonal clothing, care supplies and home safety items, such as smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. The fund also means CMCA can provide virtual education baby showers for prenatal mothers and families. Topics for the virtual baby showers include what to expect for labor and delivery, safe sleep, breastfeeding and postpartum care.

"All the money raised goes to newly delivered families and babies who are living in poverty or in crisis," said Jackie Rivera, CMCA Head Start Health Administrator, at last year's fundraiser.

The Women and Infants Relief Fund was established to cover gaps in care from federal funding, she added at the time. The National Diaper Bank Network notes children in low-income families are at the most significant risk of suffering the effects of diaper needs.

Families with infants can go through 12 diapers per day at an average cost of $100 per month, a CMCA news release noted. Safety net programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or the Women, Infants, and Children program cannot be used to purchase diapers.

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Bingo for Babies fundraiser scheduled in Columbia's Arcade District