Lively Stone Church of God in Christ, 2313 Roosevelt Road, Kenosha, is the headquarters of Ruth Dyson’s Diaper Depot & More.
A gift of a baby-themed keychain being offered to donors contributing $15 or more for the purchase of diapers and supplies by Diaper Depot & More.
KENOSHA — Ruth Dyson believes in getting to the bottom of things.
Specifically, she believes in making sure that all babies have the diapers they need.
Last fall, Dyson put together a nonprofit diaper bank to collect donations of diapers and deliver them to area social service agencies to put into the hands of families in need.
Headquartered at Lively Stone Church of God in Christ, 2313 Roosevelt Road, the Diaper Depot & More (facebook.com/diaperdepotnmore) has assisted approximately 470 Kenosha and Racine families so far, according to Dyson.
The agency began as an extension of the ministry work done by Dyson, known also as Lady Ruth Dyson. She and her husband, Pastor Bobby Dyson, founded the church several years ago.
Community involvement has long been Ruth Dyson’s mission. A Kenosha native, Dyson is a former two-term county supervisor who also worked with the University of Wisconsin Extension connecting families in need with community resources.
A way to help
Starting the diaper bank was another manifestation of Dyson’s ministry.
“I was trying to figure out how to help the community,” she said. “Some suggested I do a food pantry, but I wanted to help in another way.”
Dyson identified agencies she felt would benefit from support and sought out community partners — businesses and churches — to provide diapers and diapering supplies. She chose to set up a diaper bank rather than oversee individual client giveaways “to get the diapers to agencies that identify specific families in need.”
Established in September as the Lively Stone Diaper Bank, the organization was rechristened in December as the Diaper Depot & More.
“It’s been a really natural partnership that has allowed us to grow our diaper closet substantially,” said Erin Morey, director of operations for the Prevention Services Network.
Filling the bank
To stock the diaper bank, Dyson connected with area donor organizations.
One of the first to get on board was 1HOPE, a grassroots organization providing mentoring and foster family support for families in the Uptown area. The 1HOPE group facilitated the diaper bank’s initial deposit of 4,000 diapers, Dyson said.
St. Vincent de Paul stepped in with “a truckload” of diapers and baby ointment, she added.
1HOPE helped “spread the word” and connect Dyson to other church and community partners, said 1HOPE Executive Director Nicole Thomsen-Coughlin.
“When I heard of Ruth’s vision, I knew this was an important cause that the community could unite around,” Thomsen-Coughlin said.
Members of 1HOPE connected the Diaper Depot to Great Lakes Church, which has congregations in Kenosha and Racine.
The church rolled out an extensive diaper drive, complete with a YouTube video. The drive that began at the end of November netted some 10,000 diapers and 5,000 wipes, “enough to help over 400 families,” Dyson said.
Once a month, Dyson drops off diaper bundles and wipes to each of the agencies.
“I ask (agencies) to let me know approximately how many they will need for their clients,” she said.
In the first week of January, Dyson delivered 4,000 diapers, wipes and ointments to the Racine Professional Women’s Network Services.
Families in need
The need for extra diapers and supplies is critical for many families, notes Dyson. In the video produced by Great Lakes Church, she said that many families fall short of at least 19 diapers each month.
To alleviate the shortfall, Dyson makes up donation bundles of 25 diapers each, repackaging larger donation packages as needed.
Currently, there is a need for diapers in sizes 6 and 7, Dyson said.
Although diaper donations are currently being stored at Lively Stone Church’s storefront location, Dyson expects to need commercial storage space in the near future.
Diaper Depot partners also include Kenosha social activist Porche Bennett-Bey. When she learned about Dyson’s diaper bank, Bennett-Bey instantly began to spread the word through the community and on social media.
“I love this because there are so many young moms that do not have the help,” she said.
In addition to basic diapering supplies, the Depot has received donations of other goods. During the holidays, the Nestle company, based in Burlington, donated 25 cases of Nesquik and five case of chocolate chips, which were donated to partnering agencies receiving diapers, Dyson said.
So far, the Diaper Depot’s services are getting rave reviews.
“It is a great addition to the (PSN) programming we are able to provide to families,” Morey said. “Ruth has been doing great things, and I only imagine there are more to come.”
“Ruth is such a real blessing,” agreed Bennett-Bey.
Dyson hopes more agencies can be served as more community partners get on board with supplies and/or diaper drives.
Cash donations for the purchase of diapers and wipes by the Diaper Depot are also encouraged, Dyson said.
“People can ‘adopt a family’ for $8,” she said.
Starting the first week in February, the organization is offering a baby-carriage-themed keychain gift with donations of $15 or more.
And while the Diaper Depot team is small, it is mighty.
“It’s a of work, but I enjoy it,” Dyson said. “The most rewarding part of what I do is knowing that babies will receive the resources they need to grow to become healthy babies.”
January 25, 2021 at 06:30PM
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New church-run diaper bank supports hundreds of babies and families across Racine and Kenosha - Journal Times
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