For Families, Free Diapers Relieve Financial Burden and Other Stress
Diapers are an essential need for all babies. Yet across the United States, half of all families with young children struggle to afford clean diapers.
According to the National Diaper Bank Network, one in four parents actually miss work or school because they can’t afford the diapers required to leave their baby in childcare.
Clean and healthy babies are the foundation for families reaching their fullest potential. That’s why we at Wellpoint Care Network have partnered with the Milwaukee Diaper Mission to host several free diaper pop-ups throughout the area all year long.
“The need is great,” said Andrew Bonner, Community Engagement Coordinator at Wellpoint Care Network. “I hear from a lot of people that they are down to their last few diapers and how much this is really helping them and their family. It alleviates a lot of stress.”
Recipients attend the pop-ups for a variety of reasons — perhaps they recently lost their job, have had a loss in the family or are just a new parent getting back on their feet.
“This type of opportunity is very beneficial to me,” said Shannon Mays of Milwaukee. “Even though I work, that’s money that’s being saved. That’s tons of money that I can save and spend on something else that our family needs.”
“I come out every chance I can,” said Joseph Keith of Milwaukee. “And I try to always spread the word to others as well. Not everyone can afford diapers, so it’s nice to have resources like this to help in those situations.”
On average, diapers for one child cost anywhere from $80 to more than $100 per month.
“Now that we’ve been doing this for a little while, we often have a line of people waiting for the pop-up to start or we run out within 10 to 20 minutes,” said Bonner. “That only emphasizes how great the need is and why we need to continue to host these for families in our community.”
Babies without clean diapers are more vulnerable to painful rashes and urinary tract infections and then require more trips to the doctor. We want parenthood to be as smooth as possible and for your child’s health to never be a burden, which is why these free diaper pop-ups are open to anyone.
“There’s no discrimination,” added Mays. “If you’re a dad, mom, auntie or uncle, if we have kids or a kid in the household that you buy things for, you can get diapers and wipes. It’s always a blessing.”
If you are in need of diapers, keep an eye on Wellpoint Care’s social media channels for upcoming pop-up dates. You can also email [email protected] at any time.
Wellpoint Care Network is also excited to announce that we will host our 2nd annual “Diaper for Dads” event in partnership with the Milwaukee Diaper Mission on December 13. All dads are welcome to attend. And, if you are able to donate diapers, a collection will take place throughout the month of November.
