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WEST VALLEY CITY — Any time of day, the Family Support Center's crisis nursery at 3663 S. 3600 West is open.
That means a sleep-deprived, stressed-out mom has a safe place to leave her baby until she can take a couple of hours to sleep or otherwise collect herself.
It means a custodial father who has a job interview but the baby sitter canceled at the last minute has another child care option, free of charge.
It means a family dealing with a medical emergency can temporarily leave their children in the care of the crisis nursery until the situation is stabilized.
In addition to the round-the-clock service provided by the West Valley nursery, Family Support Center also operates crisis nurseries in Sugar House and Midvale.
Recently, the crisis nurseries, which charge no fees for their services, have run low on infant formula. The Family Support Center is asking the community for help with donations of all varieties of formula, including Nutramigen, a hypoallergenic formula for babies with colic.
"Apparently, there's more kids coming in that age category and there have been fewer donations. A lot of times people do a 'drive by' and drop off a can of formula or whatever. But we just haven't had that happen this year. We just need a little help," said Bonnie Peters, executive director of the Family Support Center.
Peters said the nonprofit organization has also experienced some unexpected expenses this year. A pipe burst at the West Valley nursery, which required extensive cleanup and repairs. Then, the center's Sugar House nursery experienced a flood, which further pinched its budget.
"Those kinds of things are so expensive to deal with," Peters said. "These buildings are old, and we have to keep them up to code and rightly so."
Between a slow pace of donations and increased demand, the nurseries' supply of infant formula is at "an all-time low," Peters said.
"We just need a little helping hand."
The Family Support Center's mission is to protect children, strengthen families and prevent child abuse. Last year, the Family Support Center served an impressive 2,200 children through its various programs. Its mission is to protect children, strengthen families and prevent child abuse, Peters said.
The crisis nurseries play a key role in achieving those ends, Peters said. The nurseries can be used for stress breaks, medical emergencies, appointments, legal obligations, job searching, interviews, family emergencies and other crisis situations.
Anyone who wants to help can drop off infant formula at any crisis nursery. The Midvale shelter, open from from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, is located at 777 W. Center St. (7720 South).
The Sugar House crisis nursery, located at 2020 S. Lake Street (740 East), is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Donations can also be left at the Family Support Center's administrative offices in Taylorsville at 1760 W. 4805 South.
"We're happy to give a donation receipt," Peters said.
For more information, call 801-955-9110.
