The Angel Gowns Project recycles old wedding dresses into beautiful burial garments for newborn babies. The program is part of a nonprofit organization called NICU Helping Hands. The NICU is a hospital where newborns with severe medical conditions are treated. The organization also provides practical help and support to the families of NICU patients.
Donations are accepted at the Angel Gowns Project. For a $100 donation, the angel gown will be donated to a developing country. The program provides the clothing, along with a memory blanket and a keepsake angel. These outfits bring hope to families who have recently lost a child.
The Angel Gowns program works with families who have lost a baby to a traumatic illness. The donated gowns act as burial and baptism gowns for these families. The organization has a Facebook page dedicated to its cause. The organization also gives away angel gowns at local schools and churches. By giving away the gowns, the organizations help parents grieving over the death of a baby.
Angel gowns can also aid in grief care for bereaved parents in hospitals. Angel kits are donated to various hospitals across the country. Despite the limited support available in these hospitals, the angel gowns help parents cope with their loss. They help them honor their infant and make it easier for them to take photos with their precious newborn.
Angel gowns are donated by people who care about infants. Those who make them are often unknown to the hospitals and rely on donations to fund the project. They work to remove the stigma that surrounds the topic. People who donate gowns can contact local hospitals to donate the materials needed. The gowns are often made from wedding gowns and other clothing items.
Angel gowns are available through local hospitals, angel gown organizations, and local bereavement groups. The websites of these organizations include information and resources to support the bereaved. Support groups include Share, International Stillbirth Association, HAND, and Postpartum Support. First Candle, Mend, and Bereaved Parents are other resources that can offer support.
Angel Gowns of South Bay was founded by Gayle Fleury in February 2018. The organization repurposes donated wedding dresses into angel gowns for parents who have lost their children. Since most women don’t wear their wedding gowns more than once, many of them end up in a storage unit or the attic. The donated gowns tell a story about the families and friends that loved them. The gowns have a new meaning for the bereaved parents.