OCALA, FL (352today.com) – When you think of Ocala’s First Friday Art Walk, paintings and pottery probably come to mind. You don’t necessarily think of it as a place where parents can also pick up a package of Pampers.
For several months now, the Junior League of Ocala (JLO) has been a regular fixture at the community event on the square in downtown Ocala in hopes of creating awareness about a critical need in Marion County.
“I can’t imagine battling the stress of financial struggle and then your baby breaks out in a diaper rash,” said JLO member LeeAnn Steiner.
Diapers are expensive and Steiner says many families in Marion County are having to make difficult decisions about how to make ends meet.
Disposable diapers can cost between $30-$80 per child per month.
The National Diaper Bank Network says 1 in 3 U.S. families cannot afford enough diapers to keep their baby clean, dry and healthy.
Steiner cited a statistic indicating 57% of parents experiencing diaper need report missing an average of four days of work in the past month because they didn’t have enough diapers to send their children to daycare.
The JLO created a local diaper bank to address the problem and serve families in Marion County.
Steiner says because people are trying to save money, they may not change their baby’s diaper as frequently as necessary and unknowingly be hurting their child.
Without clean diapers, babies are exposed to potential health risks like urinary tract infections and staph infections.
“That breaks my heart. These poor children don’t know the difference that sitting here in this wet, cold diaper isn’t normal,” said Steiner who is a mom of two children. “That shouldn’t have to happen.”
Steiner says though it’s in its infancy, the diaper bank is already helping a wide range of people including a mom who never thought she would be in a position to need assistance.
“They had a flat tire and had to replace two. That was unexpected. Then, her car had something go wrong. That was another $800. Before she knew it, they were out of diapers, and they didn’t know what they were going to do,” recounted Steiner. “We’ve also helped a foster mom who was like, ‘I just got three foster kids under four and none of them were potty trained.’ She was having to diaper three children she wasn’t financially ready for.”
How to get help
If you need help, the JLO has made it easy for you.
“What makes us different, we don’t have hoops to jump around. We don’t make you have to prove your need. You don’t have to show you’re on food stamps and not receiving them from anywhere else,” said Steiner. “You have the need; we trust you to trust us to help everything go round.”
There are a couple of ways to receive diapers.
The JLO is using the community events like First Friday Art Walk as a place to distribute diapers and to spread the word about the relatively new resource.
“We’re giving away free diapers no questions asked to anyone who comes and says they need diapers,” said Steiner. “Newborn to size six. First come, first served.”
This month’s art walk is Friday, April 5, from 6 to 9 p.m.
You can also go to the diaper bank website to request assistance online.
Members will then contact you and coordinate a date, time and location to give you the diapers.
How you can help
The JLO warehouses the diaper stash in a climate-controlled storage unit in Ocala. Their supply varies from 7,000-10,000 diapers at any given time.
The current stockpile has primarily come from donations from their membership.
In order to sustain the inventory, they need help from the community.
One way you can help is to host a diaper drive at your business, church or civic group.
Steiner says employees of the Amazon fulfillment center in Ocala recently collected more than 600 diapers.
She added that two local businesses are currently hosting drives.
Donation bins are set up at:
- Grabe Financial Services – 520 E Fort King St., Ocala
- The Hitting Academy – 2401 SE 58th Ave., Ocala
The JLO will also have collection bins set up at the First Friday Art Walk.
“We’re hoping to get the word out so that people will clean out their closets and clean out their shelves so that we can give it directly to people who need it,” said Steiner. “We accept opened packages that your children have outgrown. Of course, newly purchased ones are always welcome. We take cash donations.”
This month, anyone who brings diapers or makes a monetary donation to the First Friday Art Walk will get entered into a drawing to win a free pair of light up sneakers donated by Yeskis Shoes. You don’t need to be present to win.
Community Connection
The Junior League members hope their efforts will eventually evolve to include educational programs for parents.
For now, they just want to make families aware of the diaper bank’s existence.
“I just want to share the knowledge that we’re all in this together,” said Steiner. “This is what community is all about. Sharing. And, if sharing the knowledge is all we can do right now, that’s what we’re going to do.”