The CNY Diaper Bank, a local, volunteer-run nonprofit that collects diapers for families in need, welcomes Central New York community members to its upcoming free drive-up diaper distribution event on Saturday, December 12 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the organization’s headquarters at 4645 Crossroads Park Drive, Liverpool. This is the second distribution event made possible by a $10,000 grant from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield to help families struggling to afford diapers, a basic health necessity.
Pre-registration is required at CNYDiaperBank.org and diaper quantities are limited. Residents of Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Madison, Oswego and Herkimer counties are eligible to register. Masks are required during the drive-up distribution event.
At the November 17 drive-up diaper distribution event, 25,500 diapers were distributed to families for 520 area babies and toddlers. The CNY Diaper Bank also gave out 360 board books from Penguin Random House and Too Small to Fail, along with 200 pairs of Hanna Andersson pajamas from Baby2Baby. Price Chopper Supermarkets in Syracuse and Cicero donated reusable shopping bags for the event.
As a result of the COVID-19 health crisis and subsequent economic fallout, the diaper bank has seen an increased number of families facing diaper need and in response has doubled its distribution to more than 1.8 million diapers this year alone.
“The grant from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield is helping us provide a greater number of local babies with diapers, which are essential to their development,” said Michela Hugo, founder of the CNY Diaper Bank. “All babies deserve the best start in life, and diapers are an essential need they cannot go without.”
Research shows that children left in soiled diapers are at risk for infections and can suffer from prolonged crying and interrupted sleep. Mothers who face diaper need often have heightened anxiety and stress levels and are more likely to experience depression.
Half of all children under 5 years old in Syracuse alone live in poverty, and diapers become a cost many families can’t afford. An adequate supply of diapers for a single child can cost $100 per month. Though diapers are an essential need for babies, they are not covered by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or by Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits.
The CNY Diaper Bank was founded in May 2016 after Hugo learned that local agencies were forced to turn away families in need of diapers. She used the support and guidance of the National Diaper Bank Network to start a diaper bank in Syracuse. The CNY Diaper Bank works with 34 partner agencies in the area to distribute more than 185,000 diapers to more than 3,500 local babies and toddlers each month. The organization has distributed more than 3 million diapers since its inception.
For more information about the CNY Diaper Bank or to register for the upcoming drive-up diaper distribution event, please visit CNYDiaperBank.org.
