|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Alameda County has launched a three-year, $5.8 million Diaper Bank program to provide monthly access to diapers and baby wipes for families with young children over a three-year period.
The initiative is a collaborative effort by the Alameda County Social Services and two nonprofits — SupplyBank.org, which distributes essential goods to low-income families, and First 5 Alameda County, which focuses on pre-kindergarten children. The Diaper Bank Program is funded by Alameda County and First 5 Alameda.
They will distribute over 15 million diapers and 37 million baby wipes through more than 50 community-based organizations and county agencies. Distribution sites include family resource centers, libraries, WIC centers, school districts, health clinics, hospitals. Diaper distributions are integrated into existing wraparound services.
According to a statement from Supply Bank, diaper need results in approximately 40,000 visits to California hospitals annually, 80% of which are to the emergency room. One in two families in the U.S. now struggles to afford diapering supplies.
A 2021 study in the Journal of Pediatrics reported that an estimated 36% of parents endorsed diaper need. Diaper dermatitis (rash) and urinary tract infection were associated with parents having insufficient diapers to keep a baby clean, dry and healthy.
