Help the National Diaper Bank at Monday's Diaper Drive

The Diaper Bank diaper drive on Monday, Sept. 9 in North Haven helps mark “National Diaper Need Awareness Week.” The drive will be held from 2-7 p.m. at the North Haven Holiday Inn, 201 Washington Ave.

Diaper Need Awareness Week is Sept. 8 through 14 and calls attention to a disturbing statistic: nearly 30 percent of low-income families cannot afford enough diapers to keep their babies clean, dry and healthy.

That statistic was recently published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The same study also found that mothers who cannot afford diapers exhibit more symptoms of depression and other mental health problems. Research shows that a mother’s mental health can have a profound effect on a child’s development. 

“The Diaper Bank is proud to serve families throughout Connecticut, where we give out 1.4 million diapers a year,” said Janet Stolfi Alfano, The Diaper Bank’s executive director. “We’re keeping babies clean, dry and healthy. We’re also giving parents the opportunity to work. Most childcare providers will not enroll children unless their parents provide a supply of disposable diapers.”

Despite the large number of diapers The Diaper Bank distributes, the need is even greater, according to Alfano.

“We’ve got a waiting list of social service agencies who want diapers for their clients. We’d love to support them, but it's a question of resources,” said Alfano.

“Diaper need is a huge issue that affects children’s health and parents’ ability to earn,” according to Joanne Goldblum, executive director of the National Diaper Bank Network. “We started Diaper Need Awareness Week in 2012 to call attention to this silent crisis, because we’ve seen that once people know about the problem, they are eager to help.”

To get involved with The Diaper Bank, a member organization of the CT Early Childhood Alliance, visit their website at www.thediaperbank.org.

To learn more about diaper need nationally, visit the National Diaper Bank Network at www.diaperbanknetwork.org.

Information courtesy of the National Diaper Bank Network