From the South Orange/Maplewood chapter of Mothers & More:
Imagine on top of all the stresses of motherhood, the added stress of not being able to diaper your child. Imagine having to take a bus, with kids in tow, to shop for an enormous box of diapers, or only being able to buy them in an expensive, convenience store. Imagine not being able to work, because you cannot provide the childcare center with enough diapers. This is the reality for too many mothers.
To help diminish this struggle for low-income moms, Mothers & More, a national membership organization providing community and programming for moms, hosted a diaper drive, “Make a Mother’s Day” throughout April and May.
The South Orange/Maplewood chapter of Mothers & More hosted the drive to benefit two organizations, both in East Orange: https://www.sierrahouse.org/ and https://www.isaiahhouse.org.
Mothers & More Diaper Drive coordinator Annemarie Conte with a staff member from Sierra House
In 2014, the SOMA chapter of Mothers & More collected 3,717 diapers; this year, they collected more than twice that number: 7,700. More than 50,000 diapers have been collected nationwide, toward a goal of 60,000 diapers.
The diapers were donated to the Sierra House (https://www.sierrahouse.org/). Upon receiving the donation, the house mother at Sierra House welled up and said, “I’m always amazed as how good God is.”
“There is no denying the need for diapers is great, with 1 in 3 U.S. families struggling to afford diapers and no help from government assistance programs to help pay for diapers,” said Annemarie Conte, SOMA M & M Diaper Drive Coordinator.
“Mothers & More members find great value in advocating to improve mothers’ lives, so this diaper drives allows us to do just that, to work together as a community to help better the lives of low-income moms, as well as call attention to a real problem affecting too many mothers,” Conte added.
Facts about the Diaper Need:
● Government assistance programs such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (food stamps) do not cover the purchase of diapers.
● Cloth diapers are not an option for families in need of diapers. Many low-income families do not have washing machines and many laundromats do not allow cloth diapers. Additionally, licensed day care centers, especially the free and subsidized centers, don’t accept cloth diapers.
● For families that can’t afford diapers, a baby may spend an extended period of time in a soiled diaper, increasing the risk for numerous health problems.
