YORKTOWN, N.Y. – If you walk by a Triangle Shopping Center storefront in the coming weeks and see it filled wall to wall with diapers, don’t be alarmed. It’s just Lara Galper’s Christmas wish coming true.
For five years, the Genesis Jewelers owner has called on community members to bring as many disposable diapers as they can to her store during the holiday season. The first year, she and her husband, Steve, received 1,200 diapers, which were donated to the Westchester County Diaper Bank by the Junior League of Westchester, of which Galper was once a member. The next year, they got 1,800.
“Then we got more and more,” Lara Galper said. “Steve always asks me what I want for Christmas. Big mistake, because I always tell him I want diapers.”
Last year, Genesis Jewelers received 7,000 diapers of all sizes. Steve promised to match the community donations, but Lara capped him at 5,000. In total, they were able to give 12,000 to the Diaper Bank.
“It sounds like a tremendous amount of diapers, but when you have 12,000 diapers and you break it up into packs of 50, it’s only like 200 and something kids get diapers for one week,” Lara Galper said. “And that’s not enough. But we do our part.”
No state or federal programs specifically allocate funds for diapers. According to the National Diaper Bank Network, one in three American families report experiencing diaper need. The average baby goes through eight to 12 diapers a day, which can set families back $70 to $80 per month.
The Westchester County Diaper Bank distributes diapers to low-income families in four main locations: Mount Vernon, Peekskill, White Plains and Yonkers. Families receive 50 diapers per child per week.
“The reason why it’s necessary is because you can’t use any use any social services programs to purchase diapers,” Lara Galper said. “You may receive housing, funding and things like that. But there is no program that helps with diapers.”
The Genesis Jewelers donation drive runs until Dec. 12. People can either bring diapers or cash, which would be used to purchase diapers. Some have chosen to order diapers from online retailers and have them delivered to the jewelry store. All donors will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a men’s G-SHOCK watch.
“Every year we have a watch as a raffle item,” Lara Galper said. “I probably don’t even need that as incentive, because people are really generous.”
The Galpers have become so synonymous with diapers that people sometimes drop them off at their Triangle Center storefront before the drive starts, perhaps after finding a half-opened package at home (which they happily accept). Since June, Genesis Jewelers has received about 600 diapers.
“They think of us year-round now,” Lara Galper said.
The owner of the Triangle Center has offered the Galpers a neighboring vacant storefront in which to store the diapers until the drive ends. When all is said and done, they hope to fill it with at least 10,000 diapers, including the 5,000 they plan to donate themselves.
Many people don’t realize the critical importance of diapers, Lara Galper explained. Wet diapers can allow bacteria to breed, causing medical ailments, such as urinary tract infections.
“You can’t keep a baby in a wet diaper,” she said. “And the answer is not a cloth diaper. That’s even more expensive and more difficult to manage.”
On top of adding stress to an already-tense family life, not being able to afford diapers can also prevent children from receiving adequate day care. Most day care centers require parents to provide diapers for the child. Lara Galper estimates it costs about $20 per week to buy diapers for one baby.
“Not everybody has a jeweler,” Lara Galper said. “If somebody has $20 per week to spare, consider giving it toward a baby. They’re in desperate need, always.”
The Link LonkNovember 18, 2020 at 04:27AM
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Genesis Jeweler's Diaper Drive Fills Critical Need - TAPinto.net
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