Donations will allow the nonprofit to respond to increased diaper need in CNY
The CNY Diaper Bank, a local nonprofit that collects diapers for families in need, is asking Central New York community members to consider contributing to the organization’s COVID-19 crisis fund. Monetary donations can be made directly on the website at cnydiaperbank.org, and all funds raised will go directly toward the purchase of diapers for immediate local distribution.
Monetary donations are urgently needed at this time. The organization has halted volunteer diaper-wrapping sessions and is putting a hold on the collection of physical diapers from the community until further notice due to the unknowns surrounding how COVID-19 spreads.
“During the current national health and economic crisis, local children will be impacted now more than ever,” said Michela Hugo, founder of the CNY Diaper Bank. “We have all seen the empty shelves at the grocery store and heard about the struggle that retailers are having to keep up with demand. The families we serve are financially unable to ‘stock up’ on diapers on a good day, let alone during this unprecedented time.”
Half of all children under 5 years old in Syracuse alone live in poverty, and one out of four live in extreme poverty. An adequate supply of diapers for a single child can cost $100 per month, and they become a cost many families can’t afford. Though diapers are an essential need for babies, they are not covered by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or by Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits.
Children left in soiled diapers are at risk for infections, and suffer prolonged crying and interrupted sleep. Mothers who face diaper need have heightened anxiety and stress levels, and are more likely to experience depression.
The CNY Diaper Bank is a volunteer-run nonprofit that works with 30 partner agencies in the area to distribute over 100,000 diapers to more than 2,000 local babies and toddlers each month. Since its inception, the organization has distributed more than 2 million diapers.
The CNY Diaper Bank was founded in May 2016 after Hugo learned that local agencies were forced to turn away families in need of diapers. She used the support and guidance of the National Diaper Bank Network to start a diaper bank in Syracuse.
For more information about the diaper bank’s COVID-19 crisis fund, please contact info@cnydiaperbank.org.
About CNY Diaper Bank: The Central New York Diaper Bank is a nonprofit that was created in 2016 to help social service organizations in the Syracuse area distribute diapers to families in need. It is a part of the National Diaper Bank Network. CNY Diaper Bank’s mission is to ensure that all Central New York families have access to an adequate supply of diapers, and to build awareness of diaper need in our community.
According to the organization, monetary donations are urgently needed at this time. The organization is not holding volunteer diaper-wrapping sessions and is not gathering physical diapers from the community during the COVID-19 crisis. During the current national health and economic crisis, local children will be impacted now more than ever. We have all seen the empty shelves at the grocery store and heard about the struggle that retailers are having to keep up with demand. The families we serve are financially unable to stock up on diapers on a good day, let alone during this unprecendented time.