‘Bellies, Babies and Beyond’ brings family resources together in Perryville
PERRYVILLE, Mo.(KBSI) – Bellies, Baby’s and Beyond! A community event celebrating mothers, infants and families!
The event aims to connect growing families to resources they might not have ever known were available and organizers say the goal of this event is to ensure that no parent feels like they are navigating pregnancy or parenthood alone.
Ashley Watson is the Parenting and Adoption Case Manager for Lutheran Family and Children’s Services, they teamed up with Perry County Health Department to host bellies babies and beyond, bringing around 30 different organizations to the event, running from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm on Friday, August 7, 2026.
“We are having our second annual babies’ bellies and beyond to reach out to pregnant mothers all the way up to young families and those that are at risk in the community” says Watson.
Megan Berkbuegler is a Registered Nurse for the Perry County Health Department; she shares more on the event goal.
“Just a way to get everybody in one room having the same conversation. How can we help? What do you need? We’re here to help. So, I think it’s just really important to, for women to know that we have these resources and they’re here to help you” says Berkbuegler.
“We can connect them with SNAP and the health department with free car seats, that sort of thing. So, our goal is to have everybody in the community come out and have one place where they can get all their resources met, and we want to meet the families where they’re at” says Watson.
According to the CDC Missouri consistently ranks higher than the national average when it comes to infant mortality rates, organizers share that connecting parents to local resources can give both moms and babies a healthier happier lifestyle, that can help lower those rates.
