As the global pandemic continues, more families are finding themselves vulnerable and needing basic supplies like diapers and baby wipes to keep their babies and young children clean and healthy.
When parents don’t have enough diapers, they stretch the time between changes, attempt to clean and reuse disposable diapers, and improvise with diapering supplies like paper towels or napkins which can be abrasive on children’s sensitive skin. These makeshift options mean children sit in dirty or wet diapers longer than they should, and caregivers suffer mental anguish over making choices between buying diapers or food, paying rent, or buying medicine.
“Diaper need is painful for children and punitive for parents.” reflected Meagan Lyon Leimena, Co-Executive Director of Babies Need Bottoms.
National Diaper Need Awareness Week (Sept. 21-27) is an opportunity to shine a light on this often hidden struggle for WNC families. According to the National Diaper Bank Network, prior to the pandemic, one in three families struggled to afford a sufficient supply of diapers for their children. Across the country, diaper banks are reporting increases in diaper need between 200%-400% since the pandemic began.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Babies Need Bottoms diaper bank reached a milestone of distributing over 180,000 diapers to help families in Western North Carolina experiencing diaper need. Monthly diaper distributions have jumped from 5,000 diapers (July 2019) to over 18,000 (July 2020) – projecting an annual increase in diaper distribution of 357%.
Diapers are a basic necessity for young children, with newborns using up to 12 diapers a day and older infants up to 8 diapers a day. And they are expensive! Diapers cost approximately $80/month and no Federal assistance programs cover this essential cost. For low income families who receive WIC (Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children) or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), neither can be used to purchase diapers.
Hannah Randall, CEO of MANNA FoodBank says “Given the uptick in need, having reliable and consistent access to healthy food and essential nonfood items, like diapers, have greatly impacted those struggling to provide for themselves and their families.” Diaper banks, like Babies Need Bottoms, work with community partners, to fill this gap in the social safety net, so that families in crisis have a place to turn for help.
Babies Need Bottoms a 501c3 nonprofit diaper bank in Asheville, NC, (EIN: 82-3574436) with a mission to improve the lives of babies, toddlers, and parents in Western North Carolina through diaper distribution, community awareness and partnerships, serving families in Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania Counties.
Visit babiesneedbottoms.org for donation instructions.