Midwest agency collects essentials for pregnant women in crisis

All About U Adoptions, a Midwest-based organization, is launching a supply drive to support pregnant women facing difficult circumstances in South Dakota and the broader Midwest.

The agency is requesting practical items such as toilet paper, shampoo, and canned goods. These donations are intended to help women maintain their dignity while they prepare for childbirth and potential adoption.

Donors can drop off items at the agency's office or contribute via its online Amazon wishlist. The drive runs for the entire month of November. The organization also accepts monetary gifts year-round.

Coleen Brash, the executive director of All About U Adoptions, stated that many of the women they serve are dealing with homelessness, addiction, or food insecurity. She noted that the agency provides support that extends beyond just the adoption plan.

"So, we're helping them with far more than just their plan for their child," Brash said. "And so, the resources that are collected through this drive will be able to help sustain them until they're able to get more on their feet."

The agency reports that ninety percent of its adoptions are open. Staff members hand-deliver the collected donations to pregnant women across the region. Brooke Standing Bear, a former birth mother supported by the agency, shared her experience of finding stability after a period of addiction.

Standing Bear lost her daughters a year and a half after placing her son for adoption, a period she attributed to a relapse. She reached sobriety on July 1 of the previous year. She now lives in Rapid City with her two daughters and maintains an open relationship with her son, Nathan. She described their regular communication and shared prayers during holidays as a positive aspect of their ongoing connection.