Immanuel Baptist
Frankfort, KentuckyInfant Resource Center
Who Does the IRC Serve?
The IRC serves infants from age newborn to 18 months old in families with serious financial hardship who live in Frankfort or Franklin County. Referrals for services usually come from social service agencies, friends, relatives, former clients, physicians’ offices or the hospital.
What Kind of Assistance is Offered?
Assistance with basic infant supplies include things such as diapers, wipes, blankets, bottles, bibs, pacifiers, baby lotion, baby wash, bath tubs or bath slings, formula, table booster seats, car seats, cribs and crib mattresses and other such items. We no longer supply clothing but referrals are made to other community providers. Large ticket items such as car seats and cribs are offered on a first come, first served basis and availability may be limited at times. Additionally, we do not provide any supplies prior to the birth of the child, with the exception of car seats, which may be issued during the last month of pregnancy. In which case, since we do not require a doctor’s statement verifying pregnancy, we ask that the mother come in when the car seat is picked up.
What is Needed to Receive Services?
The parent or guardian must bring a picture ID, such as a driver’s license, and a copy of the infant’s birth certificate to the IRC office. (This can be in the form of the birth announcement certificate from the hospital.). In the case of guardianship, the guardian must bring in proof of guardianship. Proof of residency may also be requested. A short interview will be conducted to complete a brief application to determine eligibility.
Hours of Operation
The IRC is open on two Wednesdays each month from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The schedule for each month may be obtained by calling the office number and listening to the message. Clients are served by appointment and should call ahead to set up a time to be seen.
Donations Accepted
Donations of gently used baby items such as booster seats, strollers, high chairs, swings, baby monitors, bottles, breast pumps and infant books and toys are accepted. We do not accept donations of clothing, car seats, cribs or crib mattresses due to potential safety issues.
Contact Information
The IRC office can be reached by telephone at (502) 223-7630.
Messages can be left on the office voicemail at anytime and the call will be returned as timely as possible. Long distance calls or those calls having any form of call blocking will be returned only from the office during regular office hours.
Location
The IRC is located on the second floor of Immanuel Baptist Church at 1075 Collins Lane in Frankfort. The church is situated directly in front of Collins Lane Elementary School. A city bus stop is located near the center at the intersection of Collins Lane and Bluegrass Avenue.
Infant Resource Center History and Mission
The Kathleen Lunceford Hutchins Infant Resource Center is a ministry of Immanuel Baptist Church with a mission of sharing God’s love in a practical way by helping those in our community who are experiencing serious financial hardship to provide some of the basic needs for their newborn and infant children. We try to have an understanding with our clients that we are an emergency assistance ministry and as such should be used in times of financial need and not as a convenience.
The early beginnings of this ministry came from a group of Immanuel’s Acteens who attended a National Acteens Convention in Louisville in July of 1998. There, as part of community outreach, they were assigned to work in an Infant Resource Project sorting clothing. This spurred their interest in beginning such a ministry in Frankfort. They involved Immanuel’s Missions Ministry Team, investigated to see what was needed in the community, obtained permission from Immanuel to house the ministry at the church, and put together plans modeled after the Louisville Program, even getting advice from that program. The IRC first opened in October of 1999 and has been in continuous operation since that time.
The first director of the IRC was Kathleen Lunceford Hutchins, a very caring and compassionate person who fostered that kind of atmosphere for the ministry and recruited a crew of like-minded volunteers to assist in carrying out the Center’s mission. She had a gift for personally connecting with many of the single parent clients through her own experiences as a single parent. She continued in the ministry until her untimely death in January of 2002. (The center was renamed the Kathleen Lunceford Hutchins IRC in honor of her service to the center and its clients.) Volunteers stepped in to help fill the void and several months later, Anna Mayne, herself an IRC volunteer, took over as director. She has continued in that role to the present time, and in more recent years has been assisted by Karen Dungan as assistant director.
The IRC has a small crew of dedicated volunteers who commit to serving once a quarter during our Wednesday office hours. They typically put inventory away, fill client orders, greet clients and make them feel welcome, clean up donated items and sometimes put together items that need some assembly. Other volunteers also help with purchasing inventory for the IRC.
Anna Mayne
IRC Director
Anna is the second director of the Infant Resource Center.