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By ZACHARY SEIFTER/ Staff Writer

 

CareNet of Chilton County Inc., previously known as CareNet Pregnancy Resource Center, is holding its annual Baby Bottle Campaign once again this year.

The campaign helps collect money for CareNet to provide resources to expecting mothers.

This is the 14th year that CareNet has held the Baby Bottle Campaign, and the campaign will run through June 20, which is Father’s Day. The campaign began on May 9, which was Mother’s Day.

For the campaign, CareNet sends out baby bottle-shaped banks to businesses and churches in Chilton County. People are then able to fill the banks with change, cash or checks to give to CareNet. Last year, in the midst of a pandemic, CareNet raised more than it ever had before, collecting over $27,000. This year, they are aiming even higher.

“Our goal this year is $30,000,” CareNet Executive Director Ashley Liveoak said.

While the goal is lofty, it is certainly within reach. CareNet has sent out about 1,300 baby bottles, according to Liveoak. They are hoping that with a large number of bottles out there, they will be able to reach their goal.

“We hope that our community will get behind us and the services that we offer here at the clinic for moms who are expecting, for families, with the parenting classes [and] fatherhood classes as well,” Liveoak said.

The three main services that CareNet provides are prenatal support, family coaching and comfort services. Those services are essential to what CareNet is about, and they are so significant that the clinic decided that they needed to be a part of their new logo. The logo includes the new name “CareNet of Chilton County, Inc.,” and underneath that are the three services.

While CareNet wanted people to know about their services, that was not the main reason for the logo change.

“We were still finding that many people in the community thought that we were an abortion clinic, and we’re actually [on] the other end of the spectrum of that,” Liveoak said. “We are a support system where we can help mommas and their families with support for their baby. So, a lot of times mom’s choose abortion because they don’t think that they can financially support their baby, or they don’t have a support system in place. So, ultimately that the first thing that we were trying to overcome with the logo change, to let people know that we are not an abortion clinic. We are really pro-life, pro-family.”

For any family in need of CareNet’s services, the clinic is located at 5 Village Square in Clanton and is open Tuesday through Thursday. CareNet is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday but they close at 3 p.m. on Thursday. One can also call the clinic at 205-755-6767.