One in three Illinois families struggle with diaper needs. Many parents are forced to choose between purchasing food for their family or diapers to keep their little ones clean and healthy.
Franciscan Health Olympia Fields seeks to ease this crisis that impacts many parents in Chicago’s Southland. Its annual Diaper Drive during Diaper Insecurity Month in October, aspires to ensure that these families have one less worry.
Last year’s Diaper Drive resulted in the delivery of 9,000 diapers to Southland families in need. This year’s Diaper Drive, which begins Monday, Oct. 3, has a goal of collecting 10,000 diapers to be donated to local community organizations including Respond NOW, Aid for Women and a small amount to be retained for Franciscan Health Family Birth Center’s patients in need.
To make a donation, drop off new and/or unused opened packs of diapers or pull ups to Franciscan Health Olympia Fields Main Lobby located at 20201 South Crawford Ave., Olympia Fields. Those interested in making a financial donation through Franciscan Health Olympia Fields Foundation, call 708-852-2430 for more information. Monetary gifts allow the purchase of twice as many diapers due to discounted hospital purchase rates.
Here are some facts provided by the National Diaper Bank Network:
- Nearly one in three families struggle to afford diapers.
- Diapers can cost $80 to $90 a month. It costs about $1,000 a year to diaper a child.
- Diapers are material basic necessities all children require, as essential as food, shelter, and clothing. Yet, most state and national safety-net programs do not recognize diapers as a basic need.
- Infants require up to 12 diapers a day, and toddlers require about eight diapers a day. This translates to 360 diapers a month for newborns and 240 diapers a month for toddlers.
- Cloth diapers are not accepted at the majority of child care centers.
- Fifty-seven percent of parents experiencing diaper need who rely on child care said they missed an average of four days of school or work in the past month because they didn’t have diapers.