Ordinary people, life-changing work

David Camden Sheft Family Assistance Fund

Having an ill or premature infant is usually an unexpected and often frightening experience. For some families, financial concerns contribute to the crisis of having a baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

The David Camden Sheft Family Assistance Fund assists low-income families and their infants in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The Fund provides baby clothes and supplies, hospital meal tickets, gift certificates to local restaurants, grocery and retail stores, and other support to families in need.

With the generous support of our donors, the Sheft Fund has provided the following assistance to families:

Gift Cards

Gift cards are an effective way to meet the needs of families facing financial hardship. Gift cards provided by the Sheft Fund can be used in local retail stores to buy meals, groceries, baby clothing, cribs, strollers and other equipment. Since February 2006, social workers have given over $8,000 in gift cards to low-income families with children in the NICU.

Baby Care Supplies

The average cost of items needed by a family for their new baby is over $1,000 - a cost many families are unable to cover on their own. By providing more than $85,000 in baby supplies to families in need, the Sheft Fund has helped ensure that these families were able to provide the best start for their children and welcome them into a well-prepared home. Supplies provided include:

• Car seats
• Cribs, sheets, blankets and mattress pads
• Nursing pillows
• Baby carriers/backpacks
• Vitamins
• Infant clothing
• Strollers
• Infant and toddler bath tubs

Housing

The Fund has provided housing to families with limited resources who have children receiving care at the California Campus.

The Sheft Fund has supported CPMC Family House, temporary housing for families with limited resources who have children receiving care at the California Campus. The Family House, located right across the street from the hospital, is a temporary residence housing up to eight families at a time. The Sheft Fund was able to completely fund the furnishing of all the apartments. The close proximity of CPMC Family House to the medical center increases the access families have to their children and helps facilitate breastfeeding, an important factor in the health of newborns.


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