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Since April 2025, Mondays on the Monticello Church of the Nazarene property have been a little busier. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Monday, the nonprofit Jefferson Pregnancy Center (JPC) operates at the church, providing services and resources for local families.
Founder Damien Lovatto was inspired to create JPC while volunteering as an ultrasound nurse at three other pregnancy centers in the Big Bend. At the time, she was living in Tallahassee. She recognized Jefferson County as an area in need, and decided to open the new nonprofit. Though JPC is not officially affiliated with the Monticello Church of the Nazarene, Lovatto's nonprofit was permitted to open on the site, which relieved her from the financial burden of rent, electricity and other costs. About a year-and-a-half later, JPC has served over 47 families.
“I'm Christian, and the Lord gave me a calling to do this,” explains Lovatto. “You know, some people get a calling to be a minister, and preach in the church, and I got a calling to open a pregnancy center.”
Lovatto now lives in Jefferson County, and runs JPC with the help of husband John and about a dozen volunteers. The center is primarily supported by community donations.
One of the services JPC offers is distributing supplies for babies from newborn to age two. Diapers of all size, wipes, prenatal vitamins, crib liners, baby and maternity clothes, formula, baby food and other essentials are offered for free to local families. Car seats, toys and other extras are also given away to needy mothers as available. Though JPC occasionally must purchase goods, the bulk of their supplies comes from the donation of generous local supporters. Diapers of sizes 3, 4 and 5 are always a top need, as well as clean baby clothing and formula.
Since JPC is not a medical center, though many of its volunteers are nurses or other health professionals, they often refer clients to accessible medical services, such as the local Jefferson Department of Health (DOH) or clinics in Tallahassee. The DOH provides plenty of resources and events for expectant mothers, which JPC is happy to direct clients to.
Among the services they provide is also counseling for expectant mothers, experienced parents and even new fathers. They ask clients questions about baby's health, sleep quality, weight gain, if they're up to date on necessary appointments, financial circumstances, and Mom's mental and physical health. They also offer faith-based counseling, in accordance with their mission of “offering compassionate, Christ-centered support to women and families facing unplanned pregnancies in Jefferson County.” While the ladies counsel mothers, John Lovatto counsels fathers. The JPC volunteers stress, however, that families do not have to be religious to take advantage of the resources and services offered by the center. Activities such as prayer, they say, are only done with permission, and all clients are welcome regardless of religious affiliation or lack thereof.
“We have to be ready for anything, every day,” explains Lovatto. “First thing in the morning, we usually pray, to make sure that our hearts are aligned with God's purposes. We want to have informative and helpful conversations with clients when they come in, so I'll tell our ladies what time we know we'll have clients coming in.”
74-year-old Zoe Lemon, a JPC volunteer from Lloyd, comments, “This is a place where we love babies, and we love women. We have experienced the incredible love of Jesus, and loving fellowship.”
With the youngest JPC volunteer being a teenager, the eldest in her 80s, locals of all ages are welcome to assist. Lovatto mentions that they are particularly in need of volunteers who can speak Spanish, since many of JPC's clients speak limited English or only Spanish. While Google Translate helps them bridge the language gap, it's a slow and tedious process which makes it much more difficult to communicate in conversational settings like counseling. Adding Spanish speakers to the volunteer team would help staff ensure they are serving their clients far beyond the basics. Currently, they hold Spanish days the last two Mondays of every month, but they would love to reach all clients, any day.
JPC has seen plenty of success. In addition to serving nearly 50 families, they have held successful fundraising events, such as a tea party at the Wacissa Christian Church. They also do community outreach at local events, setting up displays that offer information about the center and its services. A particularly special moment for Lovatto was when she advocated before the school board for a video called Olivia's Baby to be shown at Jefferson County K-12 Community Partnership School as part of the curriculum, demonstrating the developmental stages in the womb. After three attempts, the board accepted her request. Lovatto was excited to introduce the the video and raise awareness of how humans develop.
Moving forward, JPC hopes to continue expand their outreach and support families in and beyond Jefferson County.
The Jefferson Pregnancy Center is open for donations, distributions and other services every Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is located on the property of the Monticello Church of the Nazarene, at 1590 N. Jefferson St. For more information, call 850-591-0932 or email montpreg24@gmail.com.