A Mama on a Mission

A Mama on a Mission ~ Cloth Diaper Mission



Our mission is to provide enough cloth diapers for all interested families in the community of Bahia Asuncion, BCS, Mex and beyond. Once we have enough diapers for these families, we will then work with Bahia Bebe to provide a diaper service – where the diapers will be collected, laundered, repaired, replaced, and returned ready to be worn at a minimal cost to the family (This service is by no means required. Families are more than welcome to care for their donated diapers on their own. However, it is my experience that many mamas are turned off by what seems to be a great deal of care that goes into the washing, etc. Therefor, we will offer this service at less than half of what it would cost to purchase disposable diapers). The monies collected for the diaper service will go to pay for employees, utilities needed for washing (water, gas, electricity), laundry soap, building and material upkeep, and delivery costs. The monies collected from donations for the non-profit, will remain on the non-profit side, funding only the diapers and diapering items to the families and the costs associated with running the non-profit itself. These will be separate accounts, and no mixing of the funds will occur.

With my mission, store and service, I hope to alleviate the dependence on disposable diapers and/or feminine hygiene products, reduce the amount of trash in their neighborhoods and landfills, and help this community continue to be sustainable. As I am only one person, and not rich by any means (at least not monetarily!), I am asking for donations or products at a reduced rate. Items donated will be solely for the purpose of the mission, items sold to me can be used for either, but for the most part, will be donated.

What is the difference between the Cloth Diaper Mission and Bahia Bebe?

They are two different entities that work together out of the same location(s). The Cloth Diaper Mission is the non-profit side, providing cloth diapers and accessories at no cost to families.
Bahia Bebe is the for-profit (albeit small) side, providing the diaper laundering services, as well as new items for sale, custom and hand made baby items, and reusable items such as feminine hygiene products, shopping bags, “un-paper” towels, etc. The focus of Bahia Bebe is that of sustainable, reusable, recycled and up-cycled products and practices.

When you say sustainable, what exactly do you mean?

The storefront will be solar and wind powered, even though it will be located within a community with electricity available. We have decided to remain off the grid so as to set a sustainable business example. The majority of the services will be provided by hand (washing, sewing, etc.), supplemented by electricity generated from the sun and wind. Deliveries will be mostly by bicycle or on foot. The grey water from the washing will be recycled and reused to water the gardens and orchards. Salt water will be used instead of fresh whenever feasible, due to its aseptic properties and the fact that we are located right by the sea. Any items shipped will be done in large quantities, so as to offset the carbon footprint of the service. The web hosting will eventually be offset by the planting of trees and the use of a carbon neutral web server.

What kind of employment opportunities will you offer?

**Employment will occur when the store is actually opened, hopefully within 4 years. Until then, I will be handling all donations, and Sirena will be assisting me with the donations in Bahia Asuncion.**
Employees will be a key ingredient to the success of Bahia Bebe. We will be hiring local employees to help with the washing and deliveries, as well as maintaining the storefront in the absence of the owner and partner. Employees of the store will receive a competitive salary, as well as multiple benefits including, but not limited to: free diaper service, discounted store items, ability to have their children at work (a safe and secure play area will be provided), lunch provided (for employees and children), flexible hours, English as a second language instruction (for employees and children).

What we have to do first!
What it takes to become a non-profit:

Non-Profit through LegalZoom ~
The Non-Profit package includes:
Preliminary non-profit corporation name clearance
Preparation and filing of Articles of Incorporation
LegalZoom Peace of Mind Review
Unlimited customer support
LegalZoom's business newsletter (includes business tips, discounts and more)
Free Nolo Press book, "How to Form Your Non-Profit"
Medical expense plan
Corporate Minutes Forms
Federal Tax ID application preparation
40 essential business forms on CD-ROM

Express Gold Non-Profit $359.00
AZ State-Required Filing Fee $75.00
Registered Agent Fee $149.00
Tax ID Obtainment $49.00
Total = $632.00

How you can help –

*Donate used/new cloth diapers and cloth diapering accessories – for more info, please see our wish list on the blog (http://clothdiapermission.blogspot.com)

*Donate sewing supplies, sewing machines, sergers, snap pliers, fabrics, snaps, patterns, sewing notions, etc.

*Donate money for the fees to become a non-profit. We need $632. Every little bit helps!

*Donate money to purchase used items – once we reach non-profit status, any and all monies/donations will be tax-deductible.

*Donate your time and talents – if you sew, knit, crochet, you can make cloth diapering items for the mission. Some examples include: diapers, wipes, wetbags, diaper bags, covers, trainers, shorties, longies, etc. I have some patterns that can be passed on to you.

*Help us grow!! Pass on the word about our mission – link our blog: (http://clothdiapermission.blogspot.com)
and/or Facebook page:
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bahia-Asuncion-Mexico/Cloth-Di...), tweet about us, etc. The more people who know, the more help we get!

If you have any questions....feel free to ask away! This is very new to me, so I may not have all the answers and I may not explain/clarify everything properly. This is a learnign experience, so if anyone has any knowledge in this area, I'd love to hear about it!
With Peace,
Michelle

[Edited on 10-23-2010 by bajafam]

[Edited on 10-24-2010 by bajafam]

I own them...or at least will own them. At this particular moment, I am working on non-profit status, so for now, I suppose it is a leap of faith on your part.

The non-profit will be based in the US, and work mainly in Bahia Asuncion...at least for now. I hope that someday, we will be able to branch out to other communities.

Once the two entities are completely established, there will be two seperate accounts...both bank and paypal based. They will each have seperate books, etc.

The board will consist of myself, as president, and Sirena as my secretary if she chooses to. Otherwise, I will find another person to ensure such integrity.

You are welcome to call the other companies, although at this point, the donations I have received have been from other mothers who have sold me items at a reduced cost, and my cousin ( ) who just donated over 300 diapers! However, I have been in touch with a few companies through facebook ~ GEN-Y, bumbledoo, and The Green Baby Store. I'm sure if you contacted them and asked about our mission, mentioning Cloth Diaper Mission and Michelle Marie Salch VanGurp from facebook, they would vouch for me.

Also, I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I think that the esteemed Shari and the lovely Sirena, would vouch for the validity of my mission as well. Please refer to:

http://sharibondy.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/saving-the-world-...

I hope that answers your questions, Norte!

With Peace,
Michelle

I applaud Michelle for embarking on her new mission...to spread the good word about the benefits of ecological cloth diapering. This mission got it's roots when Michelle did a cloth diaper drive to bring them down for Sirena and other new moms here in Asuncion. Sirenita was raised in cloth diapers and I didnt have a washing machine or even running water then!!! Sirena agreed to give it a try and Michelle arrived with a great selection of cloth diapers, nursing pads and feminine napkins.



After many hours of discussion about the possibility of introducing cloth diapers to moms in baja, michelle convinced me that it might be possible. She did economic feasibility studies and assured us that it would be cheaper to use cloth diapers via a diaper service than it would be to use the very expensive disposables...wow. Imagine being able to help local women save costs AND contribute to cleaning up our environment...win win situation!

Michelle is an intelligent, energetic woman dedicated to a healthy environment and happy babies. She is a woman on a mission and this will be a long term project that will take lots of planning...but she is on her way and has our full support. Her husband will also be a welcome addition to our village as he is a fireman, paramedic and studying to be a nurse! They have purchased a lot and are planning their semi retirement here in Asuncion. I admire their dedication to setting up a usefull, ecological service here and wish them success in their endeavour. It will be a positive contribution to the village and a step in the right direction ecologically.





[Edited on 10-24-2010 by shari]

Eli, thank you for sharing your personal experiences and well wishes. Just as an aside, though, my plan is to set up the non-profit stateside. That is where LegalZoom comes in The idea is to have the Cloth Diaper Mission based in Arizona and working to help mamas in Bahia Asuncion. Again, if that doesn't pan out, I will continue as I am now.

Thanks Alicia and Shari....this was such a huge surprise and a great way to start my day today!! I'm starting to feel like things are really coming together on this!

We love our cloth....and although we have many of the "fancy modern diapers", I have recently found a new love for the old-fashioned prefolds The simplicity is very appealing. I will keep everyone posted as we progress...I know it's a strange thing to discuss on Nomads, but it does concern Baja, so....

Come along for the ride!

Quote:

Originally posted by shari ya gotta keep in mind that babies change diapers every couple hours so can go through a crapload of diapers in a day... Well...there they GO! That's really a load of crap!! Michelle, I wish you the best in this endeavor. I do not share the cynicism that some others have expressed.

Just for the record, as Shari has stated....one baby can go through a lot of diapers....newborns can go through 15-20 a day. In disposables, that's two packages in two days to a tune of $220 pesos and 40 bundles of icky trash. With cloth....namely the cloth I donate....that translates to $0 and one load of laundry, or if using the diaper service, $110 pesos and 5 more days worth of diapers still to come.
You do the math:
Newborn in disposables ~ 20 a day ~ roughly $700 pesos (and most families cannot afford to do this, so they conserve the diapers, letting their babies sit in them longer than is healthy).
Newborn in donated cloth ~ 20 a day ~ $0 and one load of laundry every two days.
Newborn in donated cloth with our diaper service ~ 20 a day ~ $110 pesos.
In cloth, there is the potential for a savings of $600 - 700 pesos a week!

Then, there's the trash factor. A child in disposable diapers produces 1 TON of non-biodegradable trash while in diapers. A child in cloth produces....well, none!

Seriously, I could go on all day Any more questions?

As well as all of the great stat's that have been provided, there is also the fact that cloth is much much better for the baby's skin.

I am currently using cloth during day time and some disposable at night, because Izaak pee's & poo's like crazy at night, and since he's in between sizes, he also leaks like crazy...

Cloth also makes him more aware that he is wet and/or soiled, which allows me to change him before his business starts to irritate his soft skin.
All in all, cloth diapers are a bit more work...ok quite a bit more if baby pee's and poo's at the rate mine does, but it's really worth it to keep him happy and his skin healthy, also the extra saving doesn't hurt!!

It won't be easy but I think that if we play our cards right Bahia Asuncion can be contributing to saving mother earth in no time and be glad to do it!

SireNita, Bahia Asuncion is in good hands. Good luck with your bebe.

Maybe time to put these little gluttons on a diet. You know....practice for later in life. Sounds as though they're eating way too much.

When you dream, dream BIG

Quote:

Originally posted by toneart Quote: Originally posted by shari ya gotta keep in mind that babies change diapers every couple hours so can go through a crapload of diapers in a day... Well...there they GO! That's really a load of crap!! Michelle, I wish you the best in this endeavor. I do not share the cynicism that some others have expressed. And while we're at it....how about the number of disposable diapers used in nursing home/elder care facilities? Talk about a load! And you mean there's cloth diapers that don't use pins anymore? Man...I AM getting old! I'll help you share the word further down south in baja....

Quote:

Originally posted by ckiefer Quote: Originally posted by toneart Quote: Originally posted by shari ya gotta keep in mind that babies change diapers every couple hours so can go through a crapload of diapers in a day... Well...there they GO! That's really a load of crap!! Michelle, I wish you the best in this endeavor. I do not share the cynicism that some others have expressed. And while we're at it....how about the number of disposable diapers used in nursing home/elder care facilities? Talk about a load! And you mean there's cloth diapers that don't use pins anymore? Man...I AM getting old! I'll help you share the word further down south in baja.... Ya got the names of posters in the wrong quote boxes. Mine was the "load of crap" quote that is attributed to Shari here. No biggie! It's just that I talk a lot of crap sometimes and wish the proper credit.

ckiefer ~ the majority of the modern cloth diaper styles do not use pins...they close with either a velcro style fastener or with snaps. For the more tradition type diaper, the prefold that many are familiar with, there is a new fastener called a Snappi that holds the diaper on without the risk of poking them with the pin (ouch!).

I agree that there is a "ton" of disposable usage in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. I know many older women who use reusable pads for incontinence, and many advocates for the usage in cloth in hospitals and facilities for the elderly. There is still a lot of work to do, and unfortunately, many elderly people who need these items are under the care of someone else, who, in many instances scoffs at the amount of "extra work" necessary for them.

I figure if I can start with the cloth diapers, work my way up to reusable feminine products (highly recommended, by the way!!!), then possibly it would be an easier sell for the elderly. I don't know, and to be honest hadn't thought too much of it. Perhaps I am missing an even bigger project that would make an even bigger impact

And toneart, don't worry...we all know who is talking the crap around here, and we love ya for it!