Written by: Jillian Loveday
An infant cries from a raw, crimson diaper rash due to rationing diapers. An earnest parent wants to do what is best for the child, but diapers are expensive and not available through food stamps. Staph and urinary tract infections are pending for the child. Of course, the parent caves and uses the rationed diapers, what else can they do? But soon the diapers are gone. Do they use a towel next? A t-shirt? A parent’s sanity spirals. This scenario is all too real for those in communities without a diaper bank.
An infant cries from a raw, crimson diaper rash due to rationing diapers. An earnest parent wants to do what is best for the child, but diapers are expensive and not available through food stamps. Staph and urinary tract infections are pending for the child. Of course, the parent caves and uses the rationed diapers, what else can they do? But soon the diapers are gone. Do they use a towel next? A t-shirt? A parent’s sanity spirals. This scenario is all too real for those in communities without a diaper bank.
Statistically,
one in three American families suffer from a diaper shortage. For those just on
the poverty line, the $70 monthly expense for diapers is unattainable. Without
the Little Lambs Foundation in Logan, this painted picture could turn into a
reality.
Little
Lambs Foundation — among all their wonderful work with foster kids — is also a
local diaper bank. Every Thursday, this generous gem facilitates supplemental
diaper needs for low income parents. If qualified, parents could receive up to
80 diapers a month for their infant or 60 diapers a month for their toddler.
Sometimes this is just what parents need to get back on their feet.
In
2019, Little Lambs distributed 372,818 diapers, helping just over 12,000
families. With numbers this large, you wonder how they do it all. It’s simple,
they attribute these results to wonderful donors and volunteers like you.
Yellow
netted bags full of every size of donated diapers and wipes are stacked on
shelves in the small warehouse just off of 10th West in Logan, UT. In the entryway,
there is Gerber baby food, rice grain cereal, oatmeal, Similac formula, and
hygiene kits full of soap, toothbrushes, nail clippers, and shampoo. On the
wall just above all of this reads a sign, “Please take what you need.”
Director,
Ted, and his son welcome visitors at the front desk. Director, Shelly, and her
two daughters are in the back, stamping books for the literacy program and
packaging diapers for future pickups.
There
is a sense of hope and love in the building. Women walk through the front door,
sign in and are given their monthly allowance of diapers for their baby. Ted
asks how they are doing and offers all the necessities in the corner. These
women aren’t here to just take, they bring anything to give back to a place
that has so willingly given to them. They offer clothes that are no longer
needed and unopened cans of formula, all to benefit another parent in need.
Later
in the evening, an unsure and shy youth group arrives. This small army starts
to pack stacks of diapers. The feeling of camaraderie builds as these teenage
girls come together to do something good. They are all there for a purpose, to
benefit someone in need.
You
can help a parent in need too. All it takes is a bit of your time and/or
resources. Want to know how you can get involved? Donate! All diapers, wipes,
and any other infant necessities are welcomed and appreciated. Click here to find
out more.
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