During hard economic times, job losses, foreclosures, and fear for the future, many Metro Atlanta families are under tremendous stress to make ends meet. Atlanta is the poorest city in the U.S. for children – more children in Atlanta live in poverty than in any other city, according to Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless. Even more, one in three American moms struggle to provide their babies with a basic essential need – diapers.
Because of this need, Kia Morgan Smith, Executive Director and Founder of Atlanta Diaper Relief, and a mom of five, started the diaper bank to address the fact that there’s very little help or public resources that tackle this diaper need.
Atlanta Diaper Relief is a non-profit, 501(c3) organization dedicated to distributing diapers to poor families. Through community diaper drives they will collect diapers and distribute them to Douglas and Fulton County families in need with help from partner agencies like daycare centers.
Food stamps can’t buy diapers and welfare programs and WIC focus solely on food and nutrition and don’t cover diapers,? Smith said. In poor and low-income families, a baby can spend a day or longer in one diaper, leading to potential health and abuse risks. It’s a major problem that needs to be addressed in a major way.
The truth is many parents are already struggling to pay for rent and food and simply cannot afford the high cost of an adequate supply of diapers for their children. As a mom of five, I understand how hard it is for parents to fill this need. That’s why I started this diaper bank. I want moms to know they no longer have to let their precious baby sit in a soiled diaper because they can’t afford to buy a box of diapers.
Diaper banks are so critical. And they have been popping up all across the country. Similar to food banks, diaper banks like Atlanta Diaper Relief will collect diapers and distribute them to daycare centers, social service agencies, women’s shelters and food pantries. They in turn give them to families in need.
The cost for purchasing diapers can be daunting for families, especially when such a large percentage are out of work and have difficulty maintaining their way of life, Smith said.
Low-income parents unfortunately can’t take advantage of free or subsidized childcare if they can’t afford to leave disposable diapers at daycare centers. If parents can’t access daycare, then they are less able to attend work or school on a consistent basis. This in turn leads to increased economic instability and a continuation of the cycle of poverty.
Unfortunately, those stresses are taken out on the weakest members of our human family…the children. Atlanta Diaper Relief believes that it is the responsibility of the community to help families in crisis through this grassroots effort. There are things that you can do to help children who are in crisis.
Atlanta Diaper Relief has now launched its fundraising season and will hold various Diaper Drives to collect thousands of packages of diapers to build up their Diaper Bank.
WAYS YOU CAN GIVE
- Make a secure tax-deductible monetary donation through our website
- Host a Diaper Drive for us!
- Donate diapers of all sizes!
- Volunteer
- Be a corporate or individual sponsor
These are tough times. Help make them easier for an infant.
About Atlanta Diaper Relief:
Atlanta Diaper Relief is a nonprofit organization dedicated to distributing diapers to poor families in need. We are a diaper bank and through our diaper drives we collect diapers and distribute them to Douglas and Fulton County families in need with help from our partner agencies. We will also ensure that families living in poverty have an adequate supply of diapers for their infants and toddlers; and raise community awareness that “basic human needs” include diapers and that these needs are not being met for children living in poverty.
The Executive Director of ADR, Kia Morgan Smith, is available for interviews
Contact: Kia Morgan Smith director@atlantadiaperrelief.org
(770) 310-0046
