IWK Health Centre

In the early 90's the Women's Institutes of Nova Scotia started a project in aid to the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

It was brought to the attention of the WINS Board of Directors by Barbara Hinckley, a Director from Yarmouth District, that many new mom's delivering their babies at the hospital were lacking basic baby care items, such as layettes, powder, diapers, etc. Due to cutbacks at provincial hospitals, these items were not readily available to the mothers as they were in the past and many new mother's did not have the resources to bring these items to the hospital with them.

The members of the Women's Institutes of Nova Scotia started to knit layette sets to be given to the newborns. This project expanded to include baby care products and personal items for the mothers to use while in hospital. Many branches in the province also provide items to their own local hospitals.

Over the years, WINS has been making a different type of ‘delivery' at the IWK and to many other local hospitals. Thousands of items have been donated to date and have been given to new mom's and babies who are in need.