CASFB: Community Action Services helps get diapers to families in need
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It’s no secret that kids are expensive little bundles of joy. From the moment a baby arrives in the hospital, parents are faced with hospital bills, paying for food and clothing, and more. The cost of raising a child is estimated to be about $18,000 per year in Utah, and the first few years of life can put an especially big strain on a family’s budget. Diapers alone can cost about $1,000 each year, with newborns needing around 10 diapers a day — and inflation sees that cost rising.
Providing diapers to those in need is just one way Community Action Services and Food Bank (CASFB) is working to lift Utahns out of poverty. Thanks to a Diaper Distribution Demonstration and Research Pilot (DDDRP) grant award to CAP Utah from the US Dept. of Health & Human Services’ Office of Community Services, Community Action agencies across the state will be able to work with diaper banks to provide services to more families. Let’s review why diapers matter, the need for diapers in Utah, how CASFB is helping, and our larger efforts in the state.
Why Do Diapers Matter?
It’s hard to grasp just how important diapers are until you are stuck in a situation without one. Any parent who has forgotten to pack an extra diaper on an outing knows how difficult it is. For many people, not having a diaper on hand is a problem that can’t be solved by making a quick stop at the store because there isn’t any more room in the budget.
For parents who consistently don’t have enough diapers, the problem can have a cascading effect on their lives: When diapers are not changed frequently enough and babies spend too much time in soiled diapers, it can lead to urinary tract infections and bad diaper rashes. In time, these health problems can lead to medical bills or even allegations of abuse.
A lack of diapers can even prevent parents from going to work or school: Most childcare, daycare, and early education programs require that parents provide their own diapers. It’s unsurprising, then, that a national study found that 57% of responding parents missed school or work due to a lack of diapers. The study also found that 49% of families in need cut back on clothing purchases, and 39% cut back on food and groceries in order to afford diapers. Families often have to make tough decisions to stretch dollars, and their health can suffer as a result.
Diaper Needs in Utah
Families all over the United States struggle to afford enough clean diapers for their children. In fact, one in three families has a hard time paying for diapers.
Utah families may feel the financial pinch even more with the high number of young families in the state. Utah is the youngest state in the nation, with 29% of the population under the age of 18. The state also leads the country in family size, with about three people per household.
Unfortunately, about one in 10 children in Utah under the age of four lives in poverty, making it difficult for their families to afford diapers. Other programs like SNAP and WIC do not pay for diapers.
How We Can Help
Community Action Services and Food Bank, together with partners around the state, is working to provide diapers to families in need. The DDDRP award will help CASFB and its partners work together to reach more people.
Utah has an incredible local resource, the Utah Diaper Bank, which gives out about 75,000 diapers each month to families all over Utah with only a volunteer staff. This additional funding will allow CASFB to hire more staff to assist the Utah Diaper Bank in distributing diapers to Utah families. CASFB will also gather health and economic impact data. This important data helps quantify the needs of families in Utah.
Solving the Poverty Crisis
Providing diapers to families in poverty is about more than just diapers. Clean diapers help lift families out of poverty by easing the financial burden and keeping kids healthy. Parents can have better job security and continue schooling without the roadblock of staying home due to a lack of diapers.
In reaching out to families to provide them with diapers, Community Action Services and Food Bank is also able to connect them with additional resources. Families can be provided with emergency assistance, financial literacy classes, food bank resources, and a variety of other tools to give them the means to improve their financial situation.
Living in poverty can impact families on multiple levels, and every member of the family is often affected. Often, families can struggle unseen with these needs, as they may not know where to turn for assistance and don’t want to be a burden on family members and neighbors. Grants like the DDDRP award enable partner agencies to reach more people in need and give them valuable help and connections to resources that can change their lives.
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