Julie Fugett, Lawrence, started a community diaper drive that already has collected 10,000 diapers for low-income families in Douglas County. Fugett is pictured Friday, July 20, 2012, with her daughter, Sabine Schrick, who was born May 1, and their cat Beaker. by Mike Yoder
New Lawrence mom Julie Fugett was searching online to save money on disposable diapers when she came across a charity effort called “Every Little Bottom” that intrigued her.
She did a little digging about the charity and came across a 2010 study on the use of diapers among low-income families. The report found that families would reuse diapers or leave their children in diapers longer when they couldn’t afford to buy enough. That leads to diaper rash and fussier babies and even cases of child abuse.
“I was kind of horrified. I haven’t even thought about that,” she said.
Fugett, who has an 11-week-old daughter, knows firsthand the cost of diapers and how many a baby goes through.
“Holy smokes. A lot and a lot,” she said.
A baby usually needs 10 to 12 diapers a day which typically costs between $100 and $120 per month, and there aren’t many programs that provide such a necessity to low-income families.
While on maternity leave, Fugett called her Kansas University colleague, Thelma Simons, who serves on the board at Douglas County’s food program Just Food, to see if they could organize a diaper drive at their workplace. They ended up taking it a step further and organized a community-wide, monthlong diaper drive.
So far, they’ve collected 10,000 diapers.
“I was just floored,” Fugett said, when she heard that they reached their initial goal. Now, they are aiming to double that number by month’s end.
Just Food staff and volunteers will collect the donations and distribute them to partner agencies like Ballard Community Services and First Christian Church.
“This goes to show the power that each individual has to make a difference in the lives of thousands of people in their community,” said Jeremy Farmer, executive director of Just Food.
The food program served a monthly record 7,047 people in June; 12 percent of them were children 5 and under.
“There’s obviously a huge need,” Farmer said. “People are faced with tough choices.”
MariaAna Garza is a registered nurse and case manager with Healthy Families Douglas County, which works to prevent child abuse and neglect.
“I see a lot of need for diapers because they are very expensive,” she said. “It’s especially hard for low-income families or those with unstable income. They may even have more than one child in the diaper phase.”
She said low-income families typically don’t have the means — Internet access, gas money or a vehicle — to shop around. Garza said there also are limited resources for providing diapers. She said the Just Food partner agencies will provide them when they have them, so she was happy to hear they may soon be stocked.
“I think families are struggling a lot. I think they are struggling to meet their basic needs, and if they have an infant in the family, diapers are a basic need,” she said.
Simons, one of the Lawrence organizers, described herself as a tree hugger and at first, didn’t like the idea of collecting disposable diapers but then she did her research and found there are many reasons that low-income families can’t use cloth diapers. Among them: they often don’t have access to a washer and dryer, most laundromats prohibit the washing of cloth diapers for sanitary reasons, and many child care providers won’t deal with cloth diapers.
“It was just kind of an ah-ha moment for me,” she said.
Julie Fugett, Lawrence, started a community diaper drive that already has collected 10,000 diapers. Fugett is photographed Friday, July 20, 2012, with her new daughter, Sabine, born May 1. by Mike Yoder
COMMUNITY DIAPER DRIVE
Douglas County’s Just Food food program is sponsoring a monthlong diaper drive in July to help low-income families. The nonprofit agency is accepting monetary donations on its website justfoodfund.org, and donors are asked to enter "diapers" in the comment section. A donation of $25 will buy 200 diapers.
Purchased diapers also are being accepted at Just Food, 1000 E. 11th St., and a dozen Lawrence agencies and businesses including: Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, Checkers Foods, The Merc, Dillons, Hy-Vee, Walgreens and Wal-Mart.
Diaper drive July 2012 by Jeremy Farmer
Tagged: low-income, Just Food, infants, diaper drive
Comments
Frankie8 10 months ago
This is a wonderful thing you are doing. It is truly astonishing how many diapers a tiny little baby can go though. I will always remember my daughter looking back and forth from her daughter to the filled diaper and muttering, impossible. I am going to be contributing to this and I thank you for all that you and the others are doing. I am thinking that there are many mothers who need this help who will not hear of it. I would hope that agencies would mention this to a mother with a child in diapers even if she does not.
Ronda Miller 10 months ago
What a wonderful idea, Julie! Congrats on the birth of your beautiful baby. She's lucky to have a mom who is so caring and thoughtful.
I've seen first hand how the economy affects couples already strapped with the rising cost of food, transportation and just life in general. Diapers are a necessity. It's always terrific to see the entire village join together for the sake of our little ones. Thanks for getting the ball rolling!
Good morning, Frankie. Did you receive your copy of The Divorce Girl?
Frankie8 10 months ago
Good morning, Ronda. Not yet, I was beginning to wonder what had happened.
number3of5 10 months ago
Just buy good old cloth diapers. You only have to purchase once..... No weekly or monthly questions of can I afford diapers for my babies....Just wash and reuse for the entire time the little ones are in diapers. 6 dozen is enough for a baby and some will even last through the next one.
Tanya Spacek 10 months ago
Did you read the part of the article where she lists several reasons why low-income families aren't always able to use cloth diapers? That's the point of the disposable diaper drive.
jj14 10 months ago
Great idea - look at what your wonderful idea accomplished!!! This world needs more people like you Julie!
chic 10 months ago
I'm very torn on this one. I know that babies who go to daycare most likely are required to use disposable diapers. But, the argument that not having a washer and dryer is the reason to not use cloth diapers is very weak. I know. Been there, done that. I used cloth diapers for all of my 10 children. The diapers that were purchased for the first probably did NOT last for the tenth, but I know there were some of the last two or three for whom I did NOT have to purchase any new diapers. Yes, I did have to buy new "rubber pants," which I know many of you don't even know what those are (plastic panties with elastic waist and leg holes used to cover cloth diapers). And, for the later ones, I did discover the disposable diaper liners to use for those times when there's the highest liklihood of a "messy" diaper. And, for a significant part of the time, I did NOT have a washer or dryer. And, sometimes I could not afford to go to a laundromat. But, I did always have running water. I washed out many a diaper in a wash bucket sitting in my bathtub. Sometimes I had an outdoor clothesline. I always had a folding drying rack. It's all about expectations. I also did not think that kids HAD to have designer jeans - or even name-brand jeans. So, I support helping those who need help, but when someone decides to have a child he/she should think about what all it takes to raise a child - including how and how much it costs to cover his/her bottom. And, when deciding what sort of help someone needs, maybe it's better to teach them how to fish than to just throw fish at them???
number3of5 10 months ago
very well said. I even washed diapers in a creek so my daughter had clean ones and did a lot of washing in a tub.
mom_of_three 10 months ago
as they said above, most daycares will not take a kid in cloth diapers. So those who may benefit from the diaper drive may have their kid in daycare.
kublackbird 10 months ago
I disagree about the daycare issue. I interviewed several daycares when my baby was on the way (just about every daycare center in Lawrence, in fact) and NOT ONE said that cloth diapers would be a problem. I hate the way that myth gets repeated. It leads to people just assuming their daycare won't use cloth diapers without even asking, which is sad to me. I can't speak for other areas, but in Lawrence it's really not an outrageous request.
That's not to say there aren't other reasons for low-income people to use disposables. When Mom and Dad are both working, or working more than one job, washing diapers by hand doesn't seem realistic to me. You could do it, of course, but that's a lot of work when you add in taking care of a baby (and maybe grabbing a few hours of sleep for yourself every now and then) too!
ALC 10 months ago
When we were doing interviews of potential in-home daycare providers, we had one provider tell us that she didn't do cloth diapers for hygiene reasons. I assume that she meant to say, "I think they're yucky." We went elsewhere. (Just wanted to let you know that there's one daycare in Lawrence that said no.)
Marilyn Hull 10 months ago
A person at Just Food told me they are especially in need of larger diapers--sizes 3 and up. Pull-ups would also be welcome.
They are also collecting baby wipes.
I think it is important not to judge people who are struggling. If they are going to Just Food, they are really struggling. Hopefully, when they get back on their feet they can consider investing in cloth diapers, pins, rubber pants, a diaper pail, etc.
storm 10 months ago
What was the reason for wrapping the feces up like a gift without oxygen thereby bypassing the septic system, that led this person with good intentions to lure consumerism upon a vulnerable group of people?
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