Little Hands Virginia recently relocated to 3707 Saunders Ave. (Jack Jacobs photo)
As it continues to grow, a nonprofit that collects and distributes diapers and other baby items has left the Stratford Hills area for a larger location near Scott’s Addition.
Little Hands Virginia recently began operating in a 6,500-square-foot space at 3707 Saunders Ave., where it now has its offices and warehouse.
Founder and Executive Director Taylor Keeney said the group relocated because it needed additional space to store the supplies it collects and to keep up with demand for the items.
“Baby stuff takes up a lot of room. The gear is bulky and to keep up with the demand we were seeing for diapers, we needed to expand,” she said. “We were bursting at the seams. It was time to grow up and have real warehouse space.”
Little Hands was previously in a storefront in the Shops at Stratford Hills, where it operated for several years. In the Saunders Avenue space, Little Hands has tripled its storage capacity and has two loading docks to facilitate bulk deliveries.
Little Hands caters to children up to 3 years old and collects new and gently used items to donate in addition to buying supplies. It creates bundles of clothing, bottles, diapers and toys, which are given to more than 200 children every month through the organization’s individual request program. Through the program it fields requests for items, bundles them for clients and then passes them to its network of more than 100 partner organizations to distribute to families.
Keeney said the 3-and-under age threshold was chosen because it’s when kids grow quickly and are regularly in need of new clothing and other items.
“That’s a time when children are extra expensive. Babies are constantly growing and constantly needing new things,” she said.
Diaper distribution has become a focus for Little Hands, which Keeney launched more than five years ago. She said diapers are in demand because they’re expensive and difficult for families with low incomes to afford.
Little Hands buys about six pallets of diapers per month, Keeney said. In November, it distributed 100,000 diapers to families in central Virginia.
Organizations in the Little Hands network include social services providers, school districts, hospitals and food pantries throughout the region.
The organization was on track as of last month to provide support to at least 10,000 children through its initiatives in 2024, according to a news release.
Little Hands held a grand opening to commemorate the new headquarters location last month, following the start of operations there in the summer.
Keeney launched Little Hands out of her garage in 2019, and later moved to Second Baptist Church at River and Gaskins roads before it moved in 2021 to the Shops at Stratford Hills.
The nonprofit has a full-time team of five people, including Keeney, and 200 active volunteers.
Looking ahead, Keeney said she is aiming to expand operations to Hampton Roads next year.
Little Hands Virginia recently relocated to 3707 Saunders Ave. (Jack Jacobs photo)
As it continues to grow, a nonprofit that collects and distributes diapers and other baby items has left the Stratford Hills area for a larger location near Scott’s Addition.
Little Hands Virginia recently began operating in a 6,500-square-foot space at 3707 Saunders Ave., where it now has its offices and warehouse.
Founder and Executive Director Taylor Keeney said the group relocated because it needed additional space to store the supplies it collects and to keep up with demand for the items.
“Baby stuff takes up a lot of room. The gear is bulky and to keep up with the demand we were seeing for diapers, we needed to expand,” she said. “We were bursting at the seams. It was time to grow up and have real warehouse space.”
Little Hands was previously in a storefront in the Shops at Stratford Hills, where it operated for several years. In the Saunders Avenue space, Little Hands has tripled its storage capacity and has two loading docks to facilitate bulk deliveries.
Little Hands caters to children up to 3 years old and collects new and gently used items to donate in addition to buying supplies. It creates bundles of clothing, bottles, diapers and toys, which are given to more than 200 children every month through the organization’s individual request program. Through the program it fields requests for items, bundles them for clients and then passes them to its network of more than 100 partner organizations to distribute to families.
Keeney said the 3-and-under age threshold was chosen because it’s when kids grow quickly and are regularly in need of new clothing and other items.
“That’s a time when children are extra expensive. Babies are constantly growing and constantly needing new things,” she said.
Diaper distribution has become a focus for Little Hands, which Keeney launched more than five years ago. She said diapers are in demand because they’re expensive and difficult for families with low incomes to afford.
Little Hands buys about six pallets of diapers per month, Keeney said. In November, it distributed 100,000 diapers to families in central Virginia.
Organizations in the Little Hands network include social services providers, school districts, hospitals and food pantries throughout the region.
The organization was on track as of last month to provide support to at least 10,000 children through its initiatives in 2024, according to a news release.
Little Hands held a grand opening to commemorate the new headquarters location last month, following the start of operations there in the summer.
Keeney launched Little Hands out of her garage in 2019, and later moved to Second Baptist Church at River and Gaskins roads before it moved in 2021 to the Shops at Stratford Hills.
The nonprofit has a full-time team of five people, including Keeney, and 200 active volunteers.
Looking ahead, Keeney said she is aiming to expand operations to Hampton Roads next year.
Taylor, you are amazing! Thank you for all you do for our community!
Sounds like a wonderful cause.