By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

Throughout the summer and fall in Syracuse, it’s common to hear the pitter-patter of little feet — in the form of runners and walkers completing 5Ks and fun runs to raise money for their favorite local charities. This year, many of those fundraisers have gone virtual thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. The inaugural Diaper Run, which benefits the CNY Diaper Bank, joins the ranks of virtual fundraisers Sept. 21 through 27, which happens to be National Diaper Need Awareness Week.

“We were kind of exploring the idea of doing a 5K and everything happened,” said Michela Hugo, who founded the CNY Diaper Bank in 2016.

So, the organization pivoted to a virtual run/walk — or crawl, for the littlest participants.

Hugo said the CNY Diaper Bank has close to doubled its distribution of diapers in the greater Syracuse area since March, providing about 200,000 diapers each month through 36 partner agencies and drive-up distribution events.

“Our partners … are seeing a lot more families coming by, and they’re running out,” Hugo said.

While diaper need existed in Central New York before the pandemic — half of the children under 5 in Syracuse live in poverty, and 1 of 4 live in extreme poverty — the economic crash wrought by COVID-19 has exacerbated the issue.

“A lot of people don’t realize that diapers are not covered by government assistance,” Hugo said. “We just want people to realize that there are a lot of families that struggle each month to afford diapers.”

The CNY Diaper Bank estimates that families spend about $100 per child each month on diapers alone. Because it is a nonprofit that buys in bulk, the CNY Diaper Bank can purchase diapers at about 13 cents each — about half of the retail price of 25 to 35 cents.

The last fundraiser held by the CNY Diaper Bank narrowly missed the pandemic shutdown. The Battle of the Brunch took place March 8, and it allowed the organization to place a large order for diapers.

“If it had been a week later, we wouldn’t have been able to do it,” Hugo said. “Just after that, we saw the need skyrocket. … Now, it’s just sustaining that response.”

Participants have a week to complete their run, walk or crawl either individually or with a team. The registration fee is waived if you raise $100 or more.

“It doesn’t have to be a 5K. Children of all ages can participate by doing a fun crawl in the backyard,” Hugo said. “It’s a good excuse to get outside and do a race if that’s something you’re into.”

Runners who are feeling competitive can submit their times to compare results.

Hugo suggested using social media to garner donations by tagging photos and posts with #EndDiaperNeed or by using Facebook’s fundraising feature.

“Share a selfie and say why you did it,” she said.

Visit cnydiaperbank.org/events/run to register for the Diaper Run. Registration is $25 for adults and $15 for youth ages 13 to 17. Kids 12 and younger can walk, run or crawl for free. T-shirts are available for purchase through the first week in September.