Restocking to Reopen Umbrella Boxes

Umbrella Boxes is a project I started in August 2016 to provide tangible support and comfort for bereaved parents facing the loss of a child to miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, and to acknowledge and remember that child alongside his/her parent(s).


I recently created a gofundme campaign to raise funds to ship these boxes, and I realized how much easier it was to share via gofundme than just using social media and word of mouth. Because I'm in need of more support, I created this specific campaign to ask for the funds I need to restock supplies so that I can reopen and start taking requests again.

Umbrella Boxes are filled with carefully selected items meant to reach out to parents and memorialize babies lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, and abortion. I do not charge parents or have a mandatory donation amount. Pregnancy and infant loss can be extremely and unexpectedly expensive, and many parents in this situation simply do not have the funds to cover even the shipping cost of their box.


(For more information about what goes in the boxes, you can visit the website: http://www.umbrellaboxes.com/whats-inside.html)

This spring, I had to take a break from accepting new requests because of changes in our family and my inability to keep up with the demand. Each box takes, on average, 1.5 hours or more to assemble and prepare to ship. With 4 small children and another on the way, I didn't have the time or energy to fill requests in a timely manner. Additionally, until then outside donations only covered about 50% of the cost of the project. The rest of the cost came out of our family's budget. We are no longer able to keep up with these costs as word spreads and requests pour in.


I am working on the last handful of boxes that were requested before I closed in March. I would love to open requests again ASAP, but when I took inventory of my supplies, there are many items I need to order to have enough to make 50+ boxes (my goal number to have completed by the time our newest baby will join our family in November/December).



The cost breakdown to fully restock is as follows:

Hat Sets (1 set per baby) : $264 for 200 sets



Keychains For Dads (0-1 per box): $59.94 for supplies to make 50


Forget Me Not Seeds (1 packet per baby)
$136.95 for an order of 200 packets + shipping


Purple Crinkle Paper (a handful or two in each box)
$50.36 for 10 lb order + shipping


Brown Kraft Boxes (1 per request)
$80.22 for an order of 50 boxes + shipping (Ideally, I would order 2 cases of 50 since some arrive with imperfections.)



Soothing Caramel Tea Bags (1 tea bag per box)
$25.99 for 96 tea bags


Sympathy Cards (1 per box)
$122.50 for 50






Stuffed Animals (1 per baby, or 1 per sibling depending on the request)

In addition to a few dozen of each of the following: lambs, ducks, frogs, horses, cows, and bunnies already purchased, I also look for small stuffed animals on clearance at stores like Marshalls, Burlington Coat Factory, TJ Maxx, etc. The most popular animals mentioned in requests are ones that weren't available when I made a big purchase from donations made in the spring. (Elephants, bears, owls, giraffes, and monkeys are the most popular). To make a large enough order from a website to get a discount, I would need $107-$122 to stock up on the appropriate size of these animals.

Ribbon/Stamps/Charms/Journal Making Supplies



I never know when I will need to reorder specific charms or ribbon. Some of my alphabet stamps will need to be replaced soon. I may need to purchase more inkpads/ink refills. Cardstock and paper will need to be replenished to continue making the journals. If there is extra brought in from the campaign on top of the other costs, I could use some of that surplus for this purpose.






Business cards, resource cards, content cards from VistaPrint


Around $75 to restock what's needed (depending on coupons/specials at the time)


TOTAL NEEDED: $921.96-$936.96
{I'm setting a goal of $950 to allow to price fluctuations and a bit of wiggle room to allow for unforeseen necessities from the craft store or to purchase another 50 brown kraft boxes.}

There are other items I use to create the boxes, but at the moment I have enough of those for my goal of 50 boxes.

If you would like to see the wishlist and/or directly purchase some of these items listed above, please visit the wishlist page on the website and message me for the shipping address. I've had many people choose this option in the past so we can avoid processing fees that deduct from donation amounts.

I would be so grateful for any support that would allow me to continue to get these boxes into the hands of grieving moms & dads.

Thank you,
Alaina Jalosky

mama to 5 here on Earth, and mama to Avery, Asher, & Quinn and aunt to Noa in Heaven