Imagine going through 18,000 diapers in a day. Thankfully, this isn’t the daily diaper count for a parent or caregiver, but this is the quantity of diapers that local volunteers with Help a Mother Out used to assemble diaper kits during the Feb. 23 Diaper Sorting and Distribution Day. This philanthropy project took place at the Santa Clara based warehouse for EarthBaby. Volunteers representing Sunnyvale’s Walmart Labs participated.
“EarthBaby (a compostable diaper service) is a supporter of Help a Mother Out; EarthBaby donates warehouse space so that volunteers with Help a Mother Out can assemble the diaper kits,” said Michelle Cox, Board Member of Help a Mother Out. “We get diapers from a variety of sources. When we’re packaging them for distribution, we make sure all the sizes are the same for the person who’s receiving this.”
Founded in 2009 by Lisa Truong, Help a Mother Out is a local non-profit organization that aims to provide diapers to Bay Area families in need. More than 7 million diapers have been given away through this organization. The organization accepts donations of diapers and wipes.
“Diapers come from a variety of sources, including community contributions,” Cox said. “In some cases, people will host diaper drive events. We also have diaper donation bins around the Bay Area. We purchase diapers at significant discounts from manufacturers. Go to www.helpamotherout.org/donate. This site provides all of the links to different ways you can donate both money and diapers to the organization.”
Once the diapers are assembled into kits, the kits are distributed through Help a Mother Out’s Community Partners program. Cox listed family resource centers, voluntary home visits, parent support groups, homeless and foster children services and public health departments as being part of this program. Local organizations considered community partners include Roots Community Health Center of Silicon Valley and West Valley Community Services. Representatives from four community partners were planning to pick up the kits from the Diaper Sorting and Distribution Day.
“It is such an important and unmet need,” said Cox of the demand for diapers. “There are about 44,000 families in the Bay Area who can benefit from a free diaper supply. Because diapers are not covered by public assistance programs, like food stamps, it’s an unmet need we just feel strongly needs to be addressed. We’re working to do that.”