It’s National Diaper Need Awareness Week, and Franciscan Charities was so proud today to join with New Jersey’s First Lady Tammy Murphy, along with representatives from the offices of Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. and Councilwoman LaMonica R. MacIver, in support of the critical work our friends at Moms Helping Moms Foundation are doing to meet the diaper needs of our communities.
Did you know that infants require up to 12 diapers per day, at a cost of $70 to $80 per baby per month? That government safety networks do not recognize diapers as a basic need? That diapers cannot be obtained with food stamps? That most childcare centers will only accept an infant if the parents provide diapers for the day? (Shout out to the National Diaper Bank Network for these quick facts.)
And, as the First Lady pointed out in her remarks, if you can’t get your little ones into childcare, you can’t go to work.
The diaper need in our neighborhood has skyrocketed. As our own Melissa Hillier noted in her remarks, Franciscan Charities went from distributing an average of 30 to 40 diaper packs a week pre-pandemic to 140 packs a week since. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Melissa and our volunteers in partnership with the Moms Helping Moms folks, we’ve been able to make our weekly distributions of diapers, wipes and other necessities possible. (You’ll find them there on Tuesday mornings!)
#nationaldiaperawarenessweek @firstladynewjersey @repdonaldpaynejr @councilwomanmciver
Franciscan Charities, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) federal income tax exempt organization. It is registered as a charity with the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (CH2685200).
