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Local organization draws attention to diaper need
BOARDMAN
When Making Kids Count started distributing diapers for local families in need several years ago, the organization started by giving away about 1,000 diapers a month to its partner agencies.
Now, Making Kids Count distributes 25,000 diapers per month to dozens of agencies in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and Ashtabula counties.
The growth of the program reflects not only the four-person staff’s dedication to the cause, but a pressing need in this area.
“One in three families report diaper need,” said Colleen Eisenbraun, program director for Making Kids Count. The township-based nonprofit, which started in 2010, operates numerous programs that serve children in the area.
While Making Kids Count addresses diaper need year-round, it aims to draw attention to the issue during national Diaper Need Awareness Week, which runs through Sunday. The organization aims to collect 50,000 diapers by month’s end.
Earlier this week, Making Kids Count brought together local elected officials and representatives of some of its partner agencies. Staff members explained what makes diaper need critical for some families.
“One of the main things that is shocking is that without diapers, you can’t take your children to day care, and that prevents you from going to school or work. A lot of people say, ‘Use a cloth diaper,’ but low-income families don’t often have that as a choice because they don’t have their own washer and dryer,” Eisenbraun said. “It keeps people from getting back to work or bettering themselves to make the rest of their life more fulfilling.”
“It doesn’t matter if someone is on food stamps or WIC [the Special Supplemental Program Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children]. They can’t use that for diapers,” said Shelly Marlowe, Making Kids Count co-president.
As its diaper-bank program has grown over the last several years, Making Kids Count has collected data from those who benefit from the program.
The organization reports that of those who receive free diapers, 64 percent report feeling less stressed, 50 percent report they could pay a bill they otherwise could not have, 39 percent reported they could buy food with money they didn’t have to spend on diapers, 31 percent reported that their children were healthier because of it, and 30 percent reported their children were happier.
Diapers can be dropped off at Making Kids Count’s office on West Boulevard. Contributors are asked to first call the office at 330-758-3434.