GALESBURG — The Christ Child Society of Central Illinois has started to offer layettes to OSF St. Mary Medical Center and Cottage Hospital in Galesburg. The hospitals received their first layettes last Saturday, May 7.

A group of Christ Child Society members, including Sharon Gerdes of Gridley, Joan Weber and Ingrid Ruscheinski of Peoria, and Nancy Larson and Mary Anne Haworth of Galesburg made the deliveries.

Founded in 1887, the National Christ Child Society is a charitable organization dedicated to serving at-risk children. Volunteers seek to meet that need by providing layettes filled with blankets, clothing and baby supplies for newborns of families in need.

The Christ Child Society of Central Illinois was started at the request of Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, and members delivered the chapter’s first layettes in 2006.

In addition to the health care facilities in the Galesburg vicariate of the Diocese of Peoria, it serves OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Methodist Medical Center and Proctor Hospital in Peoria, Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal and OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington, St. Margaret’s Hospital in Spring Valley, and OSF Saint James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Pontiac.