Thank you to the Scottish government for sending a baby box to New York City’s mayor Zohran Mamdani. This new initiative was born out of a desire to help expectant mothers obtain the items they need most. This small act of kindness is the spark for Mamdani’s imagined “baby basket” program. He ran on this initiative in his campaign for mayor to address child poverty and the increasing cost of living.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, Scotland’s social justice secretary, personally dispatched the baby box to the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs in Manhattan. The box holds essentials such as books, warm clothing and a digital thermometer. The order traveled more than 3,000 miles to get to its final destination. This Scotland-New York City partnership represents the adventurous and creative spirit of both places, in taking on some of our greatest social challenges.
Launched in 2017, Scotland’s baby box scheme has given more than 360,000 boxes to every new parent in the country free of charge. Every expectant mother in Scotland can now expect a box for her baby. It comes just a couple of weeks before her due date. The program recognizes that those first few months of parenthood are some of the most financially difficult. It makes sure that families can stock up on important items during this vital window.
Mamdani has previously cited Scotland, along with countries like Chile and Finland, as examples of successful baby box policies implemented to support families. His campaign has emphasized the need for innovative solutions to combat child poverty and ease the financial strain on parents.
She too was optimistic that sending along the Scottish example would motivate Mamdani to further sharpen his policy.
“I’m proud that we can also share a commitment to tackling child poverty and addressing the cost of living for the people that we serve. Scotland’s baby box provides much-needed essentials for when a child enters the world, and it recognizes the financial burden of those first few months of parenthood.” – Shirley-Anne Somerville
Sending this baby box builds a reservoir of goodwill between the two regions. It points out their fundamental and long-standing hardwired mutual interest in making the world a better place. As Somerville noted,
“I read with interest that mayor Mamdani was considering a baby basket scheme in New York and hope that, by sending a Scottish example, it will provide inspiration to help him to refine and develop his exciting policy.” – Shirley-Anne Somerville
The act of sending this baby box not only fosters goodwill between the two regions but also underlines the shared commitment towards improving societal welfare. As Somerville noted,
“Scots share much in common with the people of New York; not least our history and heritage – as celebrated every year during New York Tartan Week.” – Shirley-Anne Somerville