Our History
Have you ever seen a need and wondered if anyone else was going to do something about it?
That’s what happened to our Executive Director and Founder, Maggie John. For years, Maggie supported a charity called Baby Showers by donating her son’s baby clothes, knowing they gave them to babies in need in Hamilton.
In 2013, when Maggie found out ‘Baby Showers’ had closed its doors and was no longer helping families in need, she decided she wanted to do something to help. As a TV Reporter at the time Maggie had reported on the increasing need in the city of Hamilton where she lives.
From 2000 to 2010, poverty rates were around 26 per cent in Hamilton for kids under six, and around 23 per cent for people under 18. She knew that losing Baby Showers for the community was catastrophic. So with the support of her community and friends, she reached out to a local Social Worker who had worked with the Baby Showers charity, and they found 10 babies who could use assistance.
On October 19, 2013, The Baby Depot was born! 10 families were served and there was no stopping this new initiative! Today, The Baby Depot helps hundreds of babies a year by donating a year’s worth of clothing and essential items to babies in need living in the city of Hamilton.
Working closely with social agencies in the city, The Baby Depot receives referrals from midwives, case workers, social workers and support systems with the full commitment to help the neediest babies in Hamilton, Ontario with clothing and essentials, but also the reassurance that there is a community of people who care.