COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF) – A Columbia County nonprofit called Prepare for Babies is providing resources for pregnant women and mothers in need. Its leaders are hoping to expand its reach, and need the community’s support.

“It was kind of a whisper from the Lord,” said Mandy Metzler, the co-founder and executive director of Prepare for Babies. “We kept hearing that in our hearts, prepare for babies, prepare for babies.”

The organization has an ultimate goal of providing housing for pregnant women who don’t have anywhere else to go.

“Because there’s such an urgency in Augusta, the CSRA, surrounding counties to house women who are pregnant who have decided to keep their baby, but they don’t have the means to do so,” Metzler said.

It currently has an office and warehouse to hold donations of baby and maternity supplies.

So far, it’s helped 121 mothers; 46 of them needed housing.

“We knew that the ultimate goal was maternity housing, and we knew that was the goal because the Lord had given me and my husband, separately, a dream that showed us what it would look like,” Metzler said. “The property, the layout.”

That layout is a main home for up to six women, a house mothers cottage, and three other cottages for transitional housing.

But as of right now, they’re ready to buy a home with donor money that’s big enough to house four women for 18 months under Georgia law.

“In the meantime, before we can get land locked down, we need to raise funds for that,” said Rushton Metzler, the other co-founder and Mandy’s husband. “And once that comes through, we’re ready to build. We have a builder, we already have the plans.”

“We’re giving them some warehouse space, some office space, and once they start building we’re going to build all the buildings for them,” said Brett Cantey with Cantey Construction. “Watching their story unfold, it was so obvious this is what they need to be doing, so anything we can do to support that.”

With changes in reproductive healthcare laws, they said support for these women is important now more than ever.

“If they are not able to have the abortion, what can we do to help them get on their feet?” Mandy said. “And to know that they have value, their baby has value. And that we love them and care for them, and want to help them do well in life – and do well in motherhood.”

The organization is in need of donations to meet its goals. Click here for more information on the mission, and how you can get involved.