Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Did you know more than 5 million children in this country don't have regular access to diapers? That's close to half the amount of kids ages 0-3 years! This number should do more than just startle you, it needs to hit your heart so you can help make a difference. Here's a national diaper drive that aims to purchase diapers for the 1 in 3 families in need.
It's so hard to imagine families struggling to diaper their babies in this country, and yet, this is a reality so many face. The lack of an adequate supply can not only lead to infection but also health risks as parents struggle to provide clean diapers to their little ones. This is why the National Diaper Bank Network has teamed up with the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and other partners to create the Healthy Mom & Baby Wipe Out Diaper Need campaign.
The goal of the campaign is quite simple: to provide 100,000 diapers to families in need. However, they cannot do it alone and need our help. According to the campaign website, one dollar can purchase six diapers at wholesale -- that's pretty amazing when you consider the cost many of us pay to keep our babies' bums dry (retail prices are no joke). Just think of how much you can rack up at Starbucks on a daily basis and how the cost of one drink can give a child one third of the diapers they need for the day.
More from The Stir: 3 Ways Never to Pay Full Price for Diapers Again
The diaper drive will conclude with "Diaper Need Awareness Week" from September 28 to October 4.
As much as we love to complain about changing diapers, it's so easy to forget many families don't have access to the amount they need. AWHONN is quick to point out that diapers cannot be purchased with food stamps and those who are unable to buy them are oftentimes turned away from childcare providers. Needless to say this can cause problems with their job and school commitments.
I find myself completely dumbfounded with this. Five million children don't have the amount of diapers they need? As a parent, my heart breaks at the thought of moms and dads having to reuse soiled diapers -- sometimes even going as far as drying them out -- because they can't replace them.
Obviously one person isn't going to solve this matter -- and sadly, it's something that won't get fixed overnight. This however shouldn't discourage any of us from making a donation. Just think how much we could raise for these families if we all gave up a luxury or two to help someone else. We've seen too many stories in the news about Good Samaritans and the power of paying it forward not to try.
More from The Stir: Stanford-Bound Teen Set to Use College Scholarship to Bury His Mom -- Until Strangers Stepped In (VIDEO)
With two kids under 2 of my own, I understand the need for diapers and will make as many donations as I can. Hopefully you will too as one child without access to diapers is one too many.
Image via © Justin Paget/Corbis
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
