September 23, 2022

Community Diaper Drive: City Hall, Fire & Police Among Collection Points for Awareness Week Donations

 

COMMUNITY DIAPER DRIVE

CITY HALL, FIRE & POLICE SERVING

AS COLLECTION POINTS

FOR CITYWIDE DIAPER DRIVE

Mayor declaring Sept. 26-Oct. 2

as Diaper Need Awareness Week

RAPID CITY—The average child will use 11,000 diapers.  The average infant requires a dozen diaper changes per day over three years and toddlers about eight changes per day.

          For many families, the cost of diapers can be as much as $100 per month per child, especially impacting low-income families who cannot buy diapers with food stamps or WIC vouchers.

          Mayor Steve Allender is proclaiming next week, September 26-October 2, as Diaper Need Awareness Week in Rapid City.  The Diaper Drive is a project undertaken by Volunteers of America (VoA).  City Hall, Fire Station 1, the Rapid City Public Safety Building, Mommy’s Closet and the Black Hills Pregnancy Center will serve as collection points.  Mayor Allender is encouraging citizens to donate generously to the diaper drive during Awareness Week and throughout the year to diaper banks, diaper drives and organizations that distribute diapers to families in need in the community.

          All sizes of children’s diapers will be accepted with an emphasis on size five diapers since young children remain in that size longer than the other sizes.  Check and cash donations will also be accepted.

          “The community deserves credit for responding every year to the annual Diaper Drive,” said Mayor Allender.  “The donations of diapers serve a very real need for our low-income families, who are coping with increased costs for most all items.  Any relief, especially when it assists our youngest children, is welcomed.  I’m encouraging the community to respond as they have in the past.”

          Volunteers of America is also conducting a letter campaign in the community during the Diaper Drive. The goal this year is to collect 20,000 diapers.  More than 9,300 diapers and wipes were collected at City Hall and other collection sites during last year’s community-wide Diaper Drive effort.

          The following locations will serve as collection points for packaged or boxed children’s diapers and diaper wipes during Awareness Week:

*City Hall, 300 Sixth Street: For a sixth consecutive year, the front lobby of City Hall will serve as a collection point Monday, September 26 through Monday, October 3.

*Public Safety Building, 300 Kansas City Street: The Rapid City Police Department and Pennington County Sheriff’s Office are working together and diaper donations can be dropped off at the civil window on first floor of the public safety building Awareness Week.

*Rapid City Fire Department, Main Station, 10 Main Street, will serve as a collection point.

*Black Hills Pregnancy Center, 1774 Centre Street, Suite 1:  The Center will serve as a new collection location during the Diaper Drive week.

*Mommy’s Closet, 111 New York Street, serves as an anytime collection location for diapers.

Monetary donations will also be accepted during the Diaper Drive.  Checks can be mailed or dropped off to Mommy’s Closet at 111 New York Street, Rapid City, SD 57701 or donations made online at www.voanr.org/diapers  through October 3.  VoA officials indicate $10 provides a package of baby wipes, $25 a pack of diapers, $35 a combination pack of diapers and wipes, $500 a pallet of diapers. Corporate efforts include TSP Architecture purchasing a pallet of diapers as part of the week-long collection drive.

            Diaper need is defined as the condition of not having a sufficient supply of clean diapers to ensure infants and toddlers are clean, healthy and dry, and can adversely affect the health and welfare of infants, toddlers and their families.

            The mayoral proclamation cites these national statistics:

            *1 in 3 American families experience diaper need at some time while their children are less than three years of age;

            *5 million children in the United States aged three or younger live in poor or low-income families;

            *The poorest 20 percent of US families spend 14 percent of their income on diapers;

            *Infants require up to 12 diapers per day, toddlers about 8;

            *Disposable diapers can cost $70-$100 per month per baby;

            *Lack of diapers can have health risks such as rashes, urinary tract infections for children; and issues such as stress, anxiety and depression for parents and children;

            *57 percent of parents experiencing diaper need who rely on child care said they missed an average of four days of school or work in the past month because they don't have diapers;

            *48 percent of families delay changing a diaper to extend their supply in an effort to lessen economic hardships;

            *Diapers cannot be purchased with food stamps or WIC vouchers;

            *A monthly supply of diapers can cost as much as 6 percent of a full-time minimum wage worker's salary  

            Rapid City's Mommy's Closet is one of three diaper banks in South Dakota that recognize the importance of diapers in helping provide economic stability for families and distribute diapers to disadvantaged families through 16 community partnerships.  The three diaper banks distribute more than 500,000 diapers annually. 

For more information about Mommy’s Closet, contact 605-341-8336 or visit www.voanr.org/diapers to learn more about the diaper drive.

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