One thing not many people are aware of is that assistance food stamps and Wic do not cover essential items like toilet paper, shampoo and soap. They also don’t cover diapers. Families on public assistance sometimes get a small amount of cash assistance, but often it is not enough to cover all of their non-food grocery items. The Diaper Bank can help people who cannot afford to buy diapers on their own.
Founded in 2004, the Diaper Bank’s mission was to fill in the gap left by the lack of public assistance to low-income families in need of diapers. The Diaper bank is located in Connecticut and serves families in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven. The program is run on donated funds that are used to purchase disposable diapers. Funds are donated by businesses, individuals, private donors and corporate donors. The organization distributes more than 200,000 diapers to more than 50 public service agencies and charities each month. To date the Diaper Bank has distributed more than 5,000,000 disposable diapers over their five year history.
The Diaper Bank also works to educate the community about the need for diaper assistance for low-income parents. The fact is, an adequate supply of diapers can cost a parent more than $100 each month. In addition to this, for many hardworking low-income parents cloth diapers are not a viable option considering most daycare providers prohibit there use. Likewise, many low-income families live without adequate washing facilities, rendering cloth diapers a health hazard. In addition to diapers being a financial burden on low-income families, they can also pose a health risk. Parents who cannot afford an adequate diaper supply are often forced to leave their babies in a soiled diaper longer, which can lead to rash and other illnesses.
