Throw an empty baby bottle out of the door and it won’t come back to you.
But fill a baby bottle with spare change, checks or dollar bills and take it to Door of Hope, and it will return tenfold in the form of hope and support for local mothers and children.
Last week, the Door of Hope, a pregnancy resource center on South Washington, celebrated the 15th anniversary of opening its doors. That’s also how long it’s been doing the “Baby Bottle Boomerang” to raise money to pay for diapers, wipes and formula for new babies. All are provided free of charge, along with classes for mothers and fathers on parenting, budgeting, special circumstances and a host of other topics.
The idea of BBB: to take a baby bottle and fill it with spare chain, checks of bills. In the past, it’s been church congregations that have mainly participated, distributing bottles on Mother’s Day and collecting them on Father’s Day. But Diane Kelce hopes to open it up so that more people will participate. You can pick up bottles during office hours at 205 S. Washington, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“If you donate $100 or more, you get a Missouri tax credit of 70 percent of what you donate,” Diane said.
Door of Hope’s free services come with no strings attached, and serve people of all ages, Diane said. Joe Haskins and Bill Moose teach a fatherhood class for men. Bill is the former director of Door of Hope, which has three full-time employees, two part-time employees and six volunteers, plus more volunteers who help with the annual banquet in September
Diane, who is from Clinton, was hired as Door of Hope’s executive director in September of 2023. People may know her from when she was the city clerk in Deepwater.
“I thought I would retire there,” she said, “but God had other plans.”
“He called me here.”
Some of the people Door of Hope serves are referred by the Department of Health Services or the court system, Diane said. Others come through the door by themselves or with a friend. Services at Door of Hope include a medical-quality pregnancy test, and STI testing and treatment, and ultra-sounds for up to 14 weeks.
Dolores Tillman is one of three nurses who volunteer at Door of Hope, and has been for 13 years. The staff and volunteers work as a team to provide a caring support system for prospective parents who may not have one, Diane said.
“It’s knowing we’re here to walk through the process with them,” she said.
Door of Hope staff and volunteers do not judge anyone or their situation, Diane said, but provide services with care and compassion. They also don’t ask anyone about their financial situation. All the information is kept confidential —all they need is a name, address and contact information, Diane said. The number of clients varies from month to month, she said, but they serve more than 1,000 clients a year.
The amount of money the Baby Bottle Boomerang brings in also varies, from a high of $11,000 one year to $6,000 last year. Diane hopes to get the word out about BBB and have the amount back up.
“We’ve had $100 bills, checks and coins,” Diane said of what people put in a bottle.
Door of Hope is also a great referral resource for the community, she said.
“We are here to serve,” she said. “We are going to give help to everyone who comes through the door. Our hearts are big.”
Door of Hope is located at 205 S. Washington, just past the southwest corner of the Clinton Square. Call 660-890-7011.
