KENT COUNTY, Mich. — The Great Start Parent Coalition of Kent County (GSPC) and Great Start Collaborative (GSC) has secured nearly 300,000 diapers for young families in the community.
They plan to distribute the 289,000 diapers to 20 different organizations around the county. The large donation was the result of a partnership between the National Diaper Bank Network and GSC and GSPC.
In addition to the donated diapers, The StoreHouse is donating the use of a warehouse to store the diapers until they can be distributed.
Before the global pandemic, one-third U.S. families struggled to afford diapers for their children. In addition, programs such as W.I.C. and food stamps do not cover the cost of diapers.
“During COVID-19, many went to the store only to find that they were out of necessities such as diapers, toilet paper, or formula. Remember that feeling. Know that many families in Kent County feel that helplessness and stress every day when they must choose between rent, food, and diapers. This is why we do the diaper drives— no family should experience the stress of having to choose between food or diapers” said Christina Pocklington, a Parent Liaison with the GSPC.
But this large donation is only part of the battle. Due to COVID-19, the number of diapers that families receive is more than usual. Typically, organizations give out 15 diapers per family per month. However, to help lower the risk of spreading COVID-19, they are giving out sleeves.
To meet the demand, ongoing diaper donations from the community are needed. “Now that the pandemic crisis has hit, many of our families are unemployed and even more financially strapped. They are asking for more diapers because they have even less money to purchase diapers for their child(ren). We now are giving families whole sleeves of diapers in the hopes that they may have enough to get them through a couple of weeks instead of a few days. This increase in demand means we need to have more people and businesses donating more diapers,” said Heidi VanderLaan, Operations Coordinator, Streams of Hope.
RELATED VIDEO:
MORE on 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
- Here is a list of food pantries offering modified services amid COVID-19 restrictions
- Happy Calls provide seniors with interaction during isolation
- More than 1 million meals given to Muskegon County students since schools closed
- Salvation Army meets a growing need during COVID-19 crisis
- Molina Healthcare donating $68K to nonprofits to help alleviate pandemic shortages
- Kalamazoo nonprofit launches program to help families do their laundry during the pandemic
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
