Healthy Baby Diaper Drive—

United Ways Looking To The Public To Help Families In Need

Danbury — The United Ways of Western Connecticut, Greater New Haven, and Coastal Fairfield County have joined forces on a regional Healthy Baby Diaper Drive to collect 500,000 diapers for families in need. Already several thousand diapers have been donated by businesses throughout Fairfield and New Haven Counties. The general public in western Connecticut can donate at Danbury Fair Mall in Center Court, and at local branch offices of Fairfield County Bank and Savings Bank of Danbury.

As the costs of basic needs continue to rise and unemployment worsens, more families are facing the difficult choice between providing food and housing or diapers for their babies. In families that are struggling to make ends meet, babies may spend an entire day in a single diaper.

An adequate monthly supply of diapers costs $100 or more. Infants require up to 12 diapers a day and toddlers up to eight per day. Lower income families who rely on food stamps or WIC federal funding are not able to buy diapers through these programs. Working families, barely making ends meet, who rely on daycare, are left with difficult choices as an adequate daily supply of diapers is a requirement of daycare providers.

The United Way of Western Connecticut is working with several organizations to distribute diapers. In the greater Danbury area, three organizations are recipients: Community Action Committee of Danbury, Birthright, and Hopeline Pregnancy Resource Center. The Department of Social Services and Baby Bundles will receive all diapers donated in the greater New Milford region.

Without clean diapers, babies are too uncomfortable, and sometimes too unhealthy, to play and learn.

“As an educator I understand all too well the importance of a healthy start for each and every child,” said Healthy Baby Advocate Irene Cornish. “The availability of clean, disposable diapers for young children is about more than just diapers, it is about ensuring that every child is healthy, has the opportunity to succeed, and comes to school prepared to learn and thrive.”

The need for assistance is great and continues to grow in this struggling economy. The Diaper Bank distributes 200,000 diapers every 30 days to 62 agencies in New Haven, Hartford, and Bridgeport serving 4,000 children each month.

To learn more about the Healthy Baby Diaper Drive or to search for additional diaper drop-off sites visit UWWesternCT.org. Anyone interested in volunteering to deliver the diapers to recipient organizations in the Danbury and New Milford area can contact Alecia Andrews at Aandrews@UWWesternCT.org.