There are very few thing that you really need in this life– food, shelter, clothing…. For parents, diapers are unarguably a necessity as well.
There are many established programs and agencies intended to handle food, shelter, and clothing. Now that we are squarely in the middle of the holiday season, you have probably even noticed initiatives to provide toys and books to needy children.
While these are all fantastic programs, the number-one need for many families was not baby blankets, clothing, or even food, but DIAPERS– which are NOT covered under social-safety net programs like WIC or food stamps. Many shelters do not supply diapers and companies who make diapers did not make donation large enough to fill the need.
Whether you use cloth or disposable, you cannot deny their importance. Parents cannot drop off a child at a daycare without an adequate supply of diapers. As a consequence, mothers (yes, it is most frequently mothers…) are unable to go to work and support their families. Babies are left in dirty diapers for longer, which poses a serious health risk and more illnesses.
Upon realizing this, my friend, Lisa Truong and, her co-founder, Rachel Fudge started Help a Mother Out on Mother’s Day 2009 in the Bay Area.
They began with a Mother’s Day diapers-and-wipes donation drive to benefit a dozen agencies serving low-income and homeless families throughout California. With a tiny initial investment of $100 and the power of social media, they managed to collect over 15,000 diapers for families in need.
HAMO has since grown into chapters in Southern California, Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oklahoma and Washington.
But anyone, anywhere can collect and donate diapers!
This morning, I am hosting my second annual diaper drive at at Los Altos United Methodist Church. It was a breeze to organize. I told my moms group about Help A Mother Out, sent a follow up, and asked them to bring diapers to our meeting today.
Last year, I did the same thing except I extended it to my greater network in the area– book club, my other moms groups, friends… everyone. For an entire month, any where I went I asked my friends to bring diapers. I offered to pick them up at their homes. I met them at the park, at Starbucks… a package here, two leftovers from potty training there…
In the end, I collected over 1,300 diapers and drove them to a shelter in a neighboring town, knowing that we have impacted the lives of members in my community.
Other ideas and supplies needed to start your own diaper drive can be found on the Help A Mother Out website. You can even host a virtual diaper drive by adding and promoting the “Donate Now Button”
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Grace, I would like to see how I can collect diapers at my office. Are you willing to have a short chat with me and help me figure out how to get started?