Infant car seats essential, but not always affordable
Ten convertible car seats were donated to the Penticton and District Community Resources Society on Tuesday as part of the Child Safety Initiative to help local families in need and highlight the importance of child safety.
This donation was made possible by a combined partnership between United Way, Central Okanagan Foundation and KGH Foundation. Through this unique team, 84 convertible car seats were purchased from Costco Kelowna and delivered throughout the South Okanagan with a truck supplied by Budget Car and Truck Rental.
The car seats will now be donated to families in need throughout the region.
Reanne Amadio, manager of community investment with United Way, said that while many people are focused on child safety, the cost of buying a car seat is not always in the budget, with a decent one costing around $200.
“A lot of families are doing their best but just can’t afford them,” said Amadio. “This is our way of helping.”
Amadio explained why choosing convertible car seats over traditional seats is beneficial to families.
“We went with convertible style because these are three-in-one car seats,” she said. “They are adjustable so as the child grows the seat can be adjusted with them, and families won’t need to go out and purchase another seat. Depending on the size of the child, they can be used for children up to around 12 years old.”
Ian Gerbrandt, director of child, youth and family services at the PDCRS, said that every kind of support means a lot as the needs of the community continue to grow.
“We support 500 families daily,” said Gerbrandt. “Some families live on limited dollars and many are living paycheque to paycheque. We are really attracted to the car seat initiative as they can be really expensive to purchase. With these donations, we are able to help families stretch their dollar for other things in the house.”
He added that we all have a vested interest in child safety, and initiatives such as this are a way of relieving the stress families cope with in order to keep their children safe.
Along with Penticton, other regions to receive donations were Princeton, Keremeos, Oliver, Summerland, West Kelowna, Kelowna and Lake Country.
Families in need and with a referral can apply for a car seat through the PDCRS. Applicants will be assessed by local agencies and selected based on those most in need.