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Graduate Student Veterans Lead Baby Brigade Initiative

April 6, 2026

By Katya Hrichak

A group of volunteers in bright safety vests stands in a circle while one volunteer gives instructions
Matthew Morris rallies volunteers before deploying Baby Brigade. Photo courtesy of Shanon Morris.

Shortly after Shanon and Matthew Morris moved to Ithaca with their toddler to pursue master’s degrees, they learned that their family would be expanding. New to the area, they hadn’t yet developed a support system to navigate the upcoming life change. What they did have, however, was experience operating in the perinatal and family experience space and a network of fellow graduate student veterans ready to jump into action.

“Living in Hasbrouck, we quickly realized we weren’t alone. Families were here, but the path to finding support wasn’t obvious, especially for international students and those new to the area,” said Shanon Morris, an executive master of management in hospitality student. “It became clear the issue here wasn’t a lack of resources; it was a lack of connection.”

A line of student volunteers wearing bright colored safety vests stand behind a serving line of food trays
Kylie Williamson, Cyara Meza. Zoe Atkins, Dylan Lee, and Joe Brown from the Johnson Community Impact Club, GSVA, and ROTC served lunch from Lev Kitchen. Photo courtesy of Zoe Atkins.

The Morrises brought the cause to Cornell’s Graduate Student Veteran Association (GSVA), in which they both serve on the executive board, mobilized a broader network of student, veteran, and community partners, and the Baby Brigade initiative was born.

Baby Brigade featured a community diaper distribution, family resource fair, and community baby shower, which took place on March 21 at the Ithaca VFW. The GSVA led the initiative, but it grew from there: Members of the Cornell ROTC, Johnson Association of Veterans, Cornell Law School Veterans, undergraduate military-affiliated students across Cornell, the Johnson Social Impact Club, Cornell Association of Nontraditional Students, Cornell Military Network, Tompkins County Veterans Service Office, American Legion Post 221, and VFW Post 961 volunteered and lent support.

A student stands in front of a loaded truck parked in front of the Beech-Nut building
Zoe Atkins helped pick up 1,200 pounds of donated baby and toddler food from Beech-Nut in Amsterdam, NY. Photo courtesy of Zoe Atkins.

During the eight-week initiative, culminating with the March 21 event, these organizations pulled together to support over 180 families and 285 children from over 20 zip codes and distribute more than $65,000 in diapers, wipes, baby gear, and resources. Baby Brigade engaged more than 80 community partners and 30 volunteers across the organizations involved.

“As the president of the GSVA, my primary goal is to meet the needs of our student veterans. When surveyed, our members asked for more community service,” said Zoe Atkins, food science and technology doctoral student. “To meet this target, we needed a cause that felt personal. We chose to help new and expecting parents, because about 50% of student veterans are parents, according to a census conducted by the Student Veterans of America in 2023.”

A student walks across a room carrying large stacks of boxes containing baby snacks
Sophie Skacel from the Cornell Figure Skating Club carried towers of toddler snacks. Photo courtesy of Zoe Atkins.

Joshua Greenberg, information science doctoral student and vice president of the GSVA, added that the organization has been making efforts to increase their campus presence this year in a way that positively impacts the community.

“Simply put, veterans and military-connected folk are hard-wired for service, and we’re good at coming together to get big things done. Every veteran I’ve met is the type of person that goes out of their way for other people,” he said. “We would love to partner with other organizations around campus who are also interested in putting together community service events. We are actively looking for more opportunities to help, and we want students and faculty to know that we’ve got you covered!”

The initiative was supported by a Graduate and Professional Student Assembly grant, a donation of diapers and wipes from Parasol Co., a donation of baby and toddler food from Beech-Nut, event space from VFW Post 961, and additional funding from the Johnson School of Business, Johnson Student Impact Club, the Tompkins County Department of Veterans Services, and the American Legion Post 221.