INDIANAPOLIS — When it comes to a township trustee’s office, people usually think of place to get help with rent or utilities when times are tough.
That’s still the case, but Trustee Annette Johnson has added another resource, a supply room solely for moms and babies who live in Pike Township.
“Come on in, bring the baby,” Johnson said to a woman getting out of a car, holding a baby carrier.
Standing at the door of the Pike Township Trustee’s Office, Johnson waved the woman inside.
The two-month-old riding in that baby carrier is too young to someday remember this moment or meeting Johnson. His mom Judith Castillo won’t soon forget it, though.
“Do you have a baby carrier? Do you want one?” Johnson asked the new mom as she led her into a room filled with just about anything a baby could need.
“What about wipes?” Johnson asked, holding up a package, before putting them in a bag for Castillo.
Castillo came to the office after Johnson invited her to pick up supplies she might need for the baby.
When Castillo arrived, accompanied by her mom, she wasn’t sure what to expect. What she walked into was a room that took Johnson, her staff, and township firefighters six months to create.
“The firefighters put these shelves together for me because I don’t know about putting shelves together,” Johnson said, laughing, pointing to several shelves lined with baby shampoo, baby powder and more.
“I really want to credit my caseworkers because they would say, ‘Trustee, this mother’s having a baby and she’s already having it hard and what can we do to help,’” Johnson recalled.
“I was like, ‘Let’s brainstorm and see what we can do here,’” Johnson said she told her staff.
That brainstorming session led to the room that opened last month, helping new moms and babies living in Pike Township. The need for it is there.
“I’m not working right now, and my husband is the only one that’s providing for us,” said Castillo, choking up slightly. “This is a pretty big help for us.”
“If I can just make sure for the first six months that the mom has everything she needs for that baby, then that’s really my goal right there,” said Johnson.
So far, people have donated some of the items for the room. Johnson bought other items out of the trustee’s budget.
“This is one of the key things is car seats,” said Johnson, holding up a baby car seat. “As you can see, I only have one car seat. I had two. I had enough in the budget to buy two. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get some more, but car seats are very very expensive and that can wipe your budget out pretty quickly.”
She’s hoping area businesses will want to eventually get on board to help.
“We want the baby to be healthy. We want the mother to not be worried about how she’s going to provide for that baby,” said Johnson.
Looking around the room, Johnson, who’s in her fifth year as trustee, can’t help but think about her own mom who became a widow at age 36 with six kids to raise.
“I just feel like she’s right here, too, and I’m sure this is something she’d be so excited about because that was one of her biggest things. It was all about giving back to the community,” said Johnson.
And Castillo is thankful to be a part of that community for more reasons than just the items she left with on Friday.
“It gives me hope that there’s still good people in the world,” said Castillo as she left.
It’s the kind of world she wants her son to grow up in.
“Let me know if you need anything, you have my number,” Johnson told Castillo as she walked out the door.