KUNA — A sister-duo is filling baskets with blankets, snacks and handwritten notes to spread some extra love to moms spending Mother's Day in the hospital with their newborns.
The effort is led by "Helping Hands for NICU Moms," a nonprofit co-founded by sisters Tiffany and Alyssa Higbee. The organization was born from Alyssa's own experience spending months in the NICU with her firstborn.
Alyssa's son was initially in the NICU for about two weeks, then was put back in for about 3.5 months. During that time, several holidays passed, making it especially hard as a first-time mom.
"There was people in companies who would bring us stuff and try and cheer up your day, and it really helped, and so when my son was about 6 months old, we decided that it would be best to try and help moms in the NICU somehow," Alyssa Higbee said.
That inspiration led the sisters to create Mother's Day gift baskets filled with items to bring comfort and encouragement to moms facing the same journey.
WATCH: Learn more about "Helping Hands for NICU Moms"
The sisters have a 12-year age gap. Tiffany was fresh out of high school when they started the nonprofit in 2023, which meant she had more time to dedicate to the project. Alyssa noted that because of the age gap, they didn't get to spend a lot of time together growing up, so the project has brought them closer.
"Hopefully, this can bring some hope that you can get out of it ... that NICU period, that scary initial phase, it does get easier," Alyssa Higbee said.
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Alyssa's son, who was born in the NICU at St. Luke's in Twin Falls, is now 3-years-old and healthy. Tiffany said watching her nephew go through the NICU was hard, but seeing him now — jumping, tackling her, and doing everything a little boy does — makes the work even more meaningful.
"It's cool to see the difference because I know that some kids don't make it to where he is when they're in the NICU, and it's just cool to see that he did," Tiffany Higbee said.
This year's baskets are packed with items donated by nearly 25 local companies — up from just 5 donors in the first year. The baskets include soaps from Wild Highland Soaps, claw clips, bibs, hair bows, chapsticks, socks, lotions, hand sanitizers, coloring books, colored pencils, snacks, minky blankets, and stuffed puppies from Scheels.
Gift cards and coupons are also included from Dutch Bros, Flying M Coffee, a pizza company, Wendy's (free meal coupons for breakfast and lunch), Albertsons, and a $10 coupon to a baby store.
Tiffany started collecting donations for this year's baskets as early as November of last year, spending a few hours every week for the past 6 to 8 months to prepare — reaching out to companies, picking up donations, and organizing everything.
The assembly process includes last-minute tasks like ironing vinyl onto bags, opening boxes, and putting together gift card envelopes before the full baskets are assembled and delivered.
"We start putting the bags together, making sure we have everything in there, and then we deliver them on Mother's Day," Alyssa Higbee said.
The baskets are delivered before noon on Mother's Day to avoid missing moms who may be discharged after doctors do their rounds. Currently, the organization delivers to St. Luke's Children's Hospital in downtown Boise.
Tiffany said delivering the baskets is one of the most rewarding parts of the work.
"I love seeing the moms sometimes we get to watch them come out with their baskets, and they'll be going through it, and they look really excited and happy," Tiffany Higbee said.
"Seeing how happy they are or knowing how I cheered them up a little bit for their Mother's Day because it's a big holiday, it's their first with that baby at least," Tiffany Higbee said.
The first year, the project was funded mostly out of their own pockets. Three years later, as an official nonprofit, they said they no longer have to rely heavily on their own funds thanks to their new partnerships.
The organization accepts both monetary donations via Venmo and their website, as well as in-kind donations of physical items like soaps, claw clips, and other basket items — year-round.
The organization's future goal is to expand to all the different NICUs in the area, and potentially the PICUs (Pediatric Intensive Care Units) as well, since that was also part of Alyssa's experience.
To learn how you can donate or get involved with "Helping Hands for NICU Moms," you can visit their website by clicking here.
