‘I think if people really know and understand there is a problem, they come through--with few exceptions’

Lois Brown Tripp, an El Cajon attorney, started rounding up formula, baby food and diapers for homeless children two years ago. Tripp, a member of the Del Mar-Leucadia chapter of the American Assn. of University Women, now regularly organizes baby drives to gather donations for North County charities that help homeless children and their families. She was interviewed by Times staff writer G. Jeanette Avent and photographed by Bob Grieser.

I never really realized there were children who were homeless. When I thought about homeless people, I thought about alcoholics and druggies. But, a couple of years ago, I saw an article in the newspaper about San Diego soup kitchens not having baby food for babies, and it really bothered me.

Children would have to eat mashed up adult food. This is fine for a child even 2 or 3, but for an infant, it isn’t the thing they need. When you need formula, you need formula.

At about the same time in 1988, the national American Assn. of University Women, which I am a member of, suggested that all chapters become involved in a community project. We were to work with a program already in the community, not go out and invent our own.

So, at the first board meeting of the Del Mar-Leucadia branch that September, I asked the board members if they were aware there were children living on the street. I told them about the problem at the shelters and soup kitchens, and they said: Lois, you’re elected. Go research it.

We had about 60 members at the time, and we decided we’d help as many soup kitchens as we could, and we’d help some of the other groups that help homeless people with children.

Our list includes the Encinitas Community Resource Center, which places homeless families temporarily in motels; Brother Benno’s Kitchen; the Martha and Mary Shelter for women and children; the North County Chaplaincy, which helps migrant workers; the Women’s Resource Center for battered women and women in crisis; St. Claire’s, a program for single pregnant women; and Casa de Amparo for abused children.

The children at Casa aren’t homeless, but we mistakenly delivered some things to them once and then got a nice letter back saying how nice it was to receive the baby things and how much Casa needed them. We thought why not, so we just included them.

The North County Chaplaincy is the Rev. Rafael Martinez’s work. Last year we donated money for birthing kits because there are so many migrant women who have their babies in the field.

The visiting nurse put together birthing kits that consisted of clothes, towels and things you would use to take care of a newborn baby.

The items were packed in plastic, oval-shaped pans, and the women used those as a bed for the babies because they were the right size.

In the beginning, we contacted each of the North County groups to find out what they needed, and we came up with a list of things they wanted, including formula, baby food, bottles, wipes, disposable diapers, baby clothes and blankets.

We started very small by asking all our members to please bring baby food.

After some publicity, we got so many phone calls from the community, it was unbelievable. I would have 10 calls a night, and my co-chairman would have as many. People sent checks and delivered items to us. My garage became the storehouse.

We became sort of like a funnel from the community to these organizations. People would say, “I’m so glad to know I can give things to somebody, and it will get to where it’s supposed to.”

The first year, 1988-89, we raised about $3,000 in products and money. We use the funds to go out and buy more baby food and diapers.

This year, it’s about $8,300, and we also have a special program. It’s called the mile of pennies. There are $844.80 in each mile of pennies, and we are $60 short of raising our second mile. People all have pennies and they give them to us. That’s in addition to bringing baby food.

We have also gone to grocery stores on the Saturday before Palm Sunday in our area and handed out a flyer about homeless babies and asked shoppers if they would bring out a jar of baby food. People brought out bags.

It was just wonderful. One young man came out with three or four jars of custard, and he said he looked at all the jars and tried to remember what he liked best. Another time, a woman literally emptied her pockets out and apologized because she only had $10 in some change. Another gave a $50 check.

I think, if people really know and understand there is a problem, they come through--with few exceptions.

I spoke at one of the service clubs last summer, and one gentlemen argued with me throughout the entire program that these homeless children were abused. The parents didn’t have a home for them so therefore they should be removed from the parents, he said. We argued all the way through the parking lot. I told him he was very, very wrong. Things happen. People have medical bills, or they lose their job.

Some people say, “Why do you need bottles, why don’t these women breast feed?” Many of these mothers are quite young. One was a 12-year-old and another a 15-year-old.

Another thing is, if they are truly living on the street, they are not getting the proper nutrition. Also, would you like to breast-feed your child behind a bush or on a park bench? I’m sure there are psychological things that make physiological differences.

In my practice, I do some criminal law, and everything I’ve read indicates people who are consistently in and out of jail have poor childhoods.

Poor nutrition plays a large part in children paying attention at school. Nutrition for babies is important.

We are looking at the future citizens of the United States. I just wish there were no more women and children on the streets. It’s so sad.