St. Louis charity aiding teen mothers loses donated baby items to tornado damage
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) -A St. Louis non-profit that provides counseling services, and baby items to teen mothers is in need of a new space after tornado damage impacted the church it’s called home for four years.
Community of Hope was founded by Allisha Jones-Pickens, who had her first child when she was 14-years-old. Having been a teen mother herself, she understands the complexities and struggles young moms face.
“A lot of these girls have no one,” she said. “That’s where I want to fill the void.”
In 2021, she rented space on the second floor of Pilgrim Congregational Church, at the corner of Union and Enright in North St. Louis. There, she had an office that housed istrative supplies, donations, which included baby bouncers.
She also rented a second room, known as her “Mommy and Me” closet, offering countless baby clothes, diapers, bottles and other supplies.
“That is my baby,” she said. “It took years to build it up to where it is today.”
Jones-Pickens said collecting donations can be difficult, as many people sell unwanted items on Facebook or at resale shops.
So, when Friday’s tornado ripped through the Academy neighborhood, she worried about what was left of her donations.
“It was a long 48 hours,” she said. “I wanted to get here so bad, but on Saturday the trees were still blocking the road so I couldn’t make it until Sunday.”
When she was able to get inside, she found multiple windows shattered, with glass and belongings scattered about. The church’s roof suffered significant damage and following Monday’s rainfall, much of what was inside got wet.
“All of our baby bouncers will have to be thrown away because of the glass shards and the water,” she said. “It’s a huge disappointment because we had just gotten a few that were really nice, but we can’t take the chance now.”
When she opened the door to the “Mommy and Me” closet, she couldn’t believe what she saw.
“When I got in this room, I cried first, I thanked God second and I thanked him again and again for preserving what you called me to do and to be able to continue to serve our moms,” she said.
The room was untouched, nothing out of place. Nothing damaged or ruined.
Church leaders said repairs will likely cost around $200,000, including a new roof, repairing water damage and replacing stained glass windows.
Jones-Pickens has decided to pack up her donations and find a new place to operate out of, not wanting to risk exposing the baby items to harsh chemicals or the potential for mold or mildew.
“This is going to be the long haul,” she said. “We’re going to have to be able to help in the months coming forward.”
To do that, she is hopeful to collect additional donations of gently used baby clothing and other items. If you are interested in donating to Community of Hope, you can email Allisha at [email protected].
Copyright 2025 KMOV. All rights reserved.
