Mother’s Day is upon us, and thousands of Central New York moms want nothing more than having enough diapers for their babies. The CNY Diaper Bank is encouraging the community to get involved in its 4th annual “Make a Mother’s Day” diaper drive this month to help moms who can’t afford diapers.
Founder and President Michela Hugo says when they started three years ago, local service agencies said families asked for diapers…
"When you think about it, it's logical, because it's not covered by any form of assistance. They're so expensive, and they're something everyone needs when they have babies. It's just an overlooked consequence of poverty."
Hugo says their goal for May is to raise enough money to purchase 250,000 diapers. About 70,000 diapers are distributed every month. The diaper bank just surpassed the one million diaper mark in February, and they still have a waiting list. Hugo says that demand allows them to receive bulk donations.
"Just last month, we received a truckload of Huggies diapers. In order to do that, we need to be able to pay the freight on a truckload. So, we still need funds to take advantage of these large donations that we can get. It's awesome because it brings the cost of diapers to pennies per diaper."
Hugo says monetary donations are the most helpful because that allows the diaper bank to buy the sizes they need. She says workplaces and churches are raising money. People can also set up fundraisers on Facebook or donate through their website cnydiaperbank.org.
