MANSFIELD — Debbie Schenk stood in the basement of St. Peter’s Church, chatting with friends as she counted 15 disposable diapers and bundled them in clear plastic cling wrap.
More than a dozen women, mostly retirees, gathered Monday morning to undertake a massive task. They sorted and separated 13,500 diapers into packs of 15 to 25.
The communal effort benefited Time for A Change Diaper Bank. The local non-profit that distributes free diaper packs throughout the community.
“The service project appealed to me as a mother and it’s fun,” said Schenk, who has three grown daughters in addition to several grandchildren.
“Diapers are expensive to buy and there can be all sorts of secondary problems if a baby doesn’t have access to fresh diapers, so we’re glad to help.”
Time for a Change estimates that approximately 700 families in Richland County face diaper need. Weiss said they base that estimate on data from the WIC program.
Diaper banks are popping up across Richland County in response.
“Diapers are one of those things that are difficult to get at food pantries and other community service providers,” said Demrie Alonzo, executive director of the Shelby Diaper Pantry.
“They’re so expensive that food and other necessities tend to take precedence. Yet many parents end up choosing between food or diapers.”
Diaper need can make it harder for parents to return to work
The National Diaper Bank Network estimates that between 33 and 47 percent of American families with young children experience diaper need — a lack of diapers needed to keep their children clean, healthy and dry.
Mother and daughter duo Jewell Weiss and Lara Ashley co-founded Time for a Change in 2022 to address diaper need on the local level.
“Unbeknownst to each other, my daughter and I both were concerned about diaper need,” Weiss said.
“I have a friend who is a social worker. He had bought diapers for a family because he came in and the child was in a diaper from the day before.”
Ashley said she started thinking about diaper need after learning families can’t use major government assistance programs like the SNAP and WIC to purchase diapers.
“I started doing a little research to see how families were expected to get diapers when they don’t have an income. There wasn’t anything,” she said.
Families that qualify for SNAP and WIC can also qualify for childcare assistance, but diaper need can be a barrier.
“To get back into the workforce, you have to send your child to daycare — even if it’s state-subsidized daycare — with six diapers per child, per day,” Ashley said.
“What happens is families end up in this cycle where they’re out of work, so they can’t afford the diapers to send the child to daycare.”
Diaper need can also negatively impact a child’s health. If a caregiver changes their child less frequently to stretch out a diaper supply, it can increase a child’s risk of diaper rashes and urinary tract infections.
One study found that diaper need is associated with a higher rate of pediatric care visits.
Diaper need impacts about 700 local families
Time for a Change does not distribute diapers directly. Instead, it provides packs to organizations like the Salvation Army, North Central State College, Community Health Access Project (CHAP), Richland County Children’s Services and the Richland Outreach Center (ROC), Weiss said.
Last year, the non-profit partnered with community agencies to distribute 30,000 diapers. This year, they hope to double that work.
Their goal is to ensure families can access between 30 and 50 free diapers each month.
“We based on a study that was done by Huggies, that 50 diapers a month bridges the gap for families,” Ashley said.
“We don’t want families to not have any responsibility for providing diapers, but we want to kind of get them over that hump.”
“Our goal is to be able to provide ongoing support to these families so that they can get to a stable place and really break that cycle of poverty.”
The Shelby Diaper Bank, formerly No Bottom Wet Behind, distributes 40 diapers and a box of wipes per child during its monthly distributions. Alonzo said the organization typically goes through between 1900 and 2500 diapers each month, serving between 35 and 45 families.
Parents spend at least $500 on diapers during the first year of baby’s life
Jazmin Sylvester, ROC’s volunteer coordinator, has seen the impact diaper need has on the community.
Sylvester runs the ROC’s monthly diaper pantry, which launched earlier this year. The ROC distributes packets from Time for A Change as well as diapers donated by community members.
“We have seen anywhere between 29 to 31 families so far and this is our third month,” Sylvester said. “Every month, our attendance is getting bigger and bigger as the word gets out.”
Sylvester said diaper access is important as the cost of keeping babies clean and dry has skyrocketed.
“Diapers are getting really expensive now,” she said. “A box of diapers ranges from $25 to $30 a box and any little bit can help a family.”
An article from Parents.com estimates that parents will spend between $500 and $900 on diapers alone during a baby’s first year of life. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests a first year diaper budget of $1,000.
Diaper need impacts babies first and foremost, but parents and caregivers aren’t exempt from the strain.
A study by the National Diaper Bank Network found that 46 percent of families reported cutting back on other essentials to afford diapers. More than a quarter of surveyed parents who reported diaper need said they’d skipped meals to afford diapers.
One in four parents and caregivers with diaper need reported missing work or school because they didn’t have enough diapers to drop their child off at daycare.
Diaper need can also negatively impact a parent or caregiver’s mental health.
“From the parent’s standpoint, not being able to provide that basic need for their child causes a lot of stress and depression,” Weiss said.
How to get help with diapers
In need of diapers? The Richland Outreach Center has a diaper and wipe distribution the second Tuesday of every month from 5 to 6 p.m. at 12 N. Diamond St.
Diapers are also available through the essentials closet program at the Community Action Commission of Erie, Huron and Richland Counties (CACEHR).
To be eligible, you must have a household income of 200 percent or less of the federal poverty level.
To apply, visit the Richland County office, located in the basement of the People’s Community Center at 597 Park Avenue East. The building is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Shelby Diaper Bank distributes from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month.
Visitors should come to the side door of the Shelby First Presbyterian Church, 24 North Gamble Street.
How to help families with diaper need
Want to donate? Drop off diapers, including partially opened packages, at the Mansfield St. Peter parish office or any branch of Mechanics Bank. Monetary donations can be made at timeforachangedb.org. Time for A Change also has an Amazon wishlist.
To donate funds for diapers to the Richland Outreach Center, click here to give online.