Health care
BY KAREN CHANEY
The Vitamin Bridge is celebrating its ve-year anniversary this year. As of 2024, the group will have donated 100,000 bottles of prenatal vitamins. “That’s 100,000 moms and at least [that many] or more babies,” co-founder Martha Day said. Martha founded The Vitamin Bridge with her husband Tom Day in 2019 to bridge the gap she noticed while volunteering at a pregnancy center. The inspiration While volunteering, Martha heard nurses repeatedly tell moms they needed to buy prenatal vitamins and start taking them as soon as possible. “[The moms] were coming because they didn’t have insurance or a doctor and lacked nancial resources,” Martha said. “It seemed to me a tremendous opportunity was being missed.” Martha vividly remembers a mom she met at the center who worked at a concession stand as being a catalyst for this bridge building endeavor. “She worked in a concession stand and as she described her diet it mostly consisted of what was left over at the end of the day in the concession stand and that was primarily hot dogs,” Martha said. “Here she is six weeks pregnant and eating mostly hot dogs. I could not stand the idea of her leaving without a bottle of prenatal vitamins in her hands.” The details The couple began the organization out of their home, and it has increased its reach to serving 140 rst-touch community providers which are organizations that serve under-resourced women early in pregnancy. The Vitamin Bridge focuses solely on domestic needs and relies on donations and volunteers. Get involved There are pin-studded maps, one of Texas the other of Georgia, hanging in the nonpro t’s o ce. The pins mark rst-touch providers where The Vitamin Bridge has donated prenatal vitamins. Martha said there are other organizations who donate prenatal vitamins but those e orts are mainly international. The Vitamin Bridge focuses solely on domestic needs. The Vitamin Bridge relies on donations and volunteers. Martha said a $5 donation will put a 100-day supply of prenatal vitamins in the hands of an expectant mother. Volunteers are needed to Coppell-based nonpro t provides prenatal vitamins
The Vitamin Bridge co-founder Martha Day said a $5 donation can provide a 100-day supply of vitamins to expectant moms.
PHOTOS BY KAREN CHANEY COMMUNITY IMPACT
The Vitamin Bridge delivers thousands of prenatal vitamin bottles across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
Martha and her husband Tom Day co-founded The Vitamin Bridge in 2019. It is based in Coppell.
stock vitamin deliveries as well as make deliveries to rst-touch community providers. Quote of note “If you’re struggling to put food on the table, gas in the tank...the prenatal vitamins are probably going to stay on the shelf,” Martha said. “This shows her she matters and her baby matters enough that we want to invest in them.”
E. SANDY LAKE RD.
R
W. BETHEL RD.
N
500 S. Denton Tap Road, Coppell www.vitaminbridge.com
17
LEWISVILLE COPPELL EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook