DURHAM, N.C. — Patience Mukelabai sees the impact of COVID-19-related job losses every Friday.
Each week, her staff at Welcome Baby distribute diapers, baby wipes, and menstrual hygiene products to families in need. Normally about 50 to 60 families drop by. These days, she sees easily double that number.
“Those are some of the things that we tend to forget that families actually have a need for that,” she said. “Because that's something that I'm going to put to the side and buy food.”
According to the Diaper Bank of North Carolina, diapers typically cost about $100 per month per child.
Programs such as the Women's, Infants and Children's (WIC) nutrition program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) don't cover diapers, so low-income families often resort to changing a baby's diaper only once per day.
Diaper Bank Research Director Kelley Massengale said that leaves children vulnerable to severe diaper rash and urinary tract infections. Even in a normal year, she said 75 percent of the families they serve already worked 1-3 jobs.
“The pandemic has really exacerbated all of that because it's made it harder for families to have access to the basic needs they met,” she said. “Many families have had their hours at work cut or they lost their jobs entirely.”
Programs such as Mukelabai's rely on the Diaper Bank for supplies. The demand at places like Welcome Baby has reverberated up the supply chain. Last year, Massengale said the Diaper Bank distributed more than 4 million hygiene products. The organization has already exceeded that amount. Demand for menstrual hygiene products has gone up by 800 percent and adult incontinence product demand is up by 220 percent.
The pandemic has forced Mukelabai to alter her approach to diaper pickups. She and her staff set up a drive-thru system where families check in and then drive around to the back of Welcome Baby's building. Volunteers then come to their cars with the supplies they need. Although her organization focuses on Durham County residents, she said she won't turn away anyone in need.
Mukelabai said the best way to support a program like hers is to donate to the Diaper Bank. Massengale said the organization can accept donations from an online wishlist or monetary donations. Cash goes toward bulk purchases of diapers, menstrual hygiene products, and other supplies.
The Link LonkSeptember 12, 2020 at 03:49AM
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