Diaper Donations: Org Helps Mothers Buy Products Not Covered By Food Stamps

As Peter Rothberg points out in a recent post for The Nation, many young parents, especially single mothers, are finding themselves in desperate financial times, and often have to decide between purchasing food or diapers for their young infants.

Remarkably enough, diapers cannot be purchased through assistance programs like WIC or food stamps. That's why Help A Mother Out was founded in the spring of 2009 as a way for generous people to donate diapers and products like body soap to mothers in need.

Co-founders Lisa Truong and Rachel Fudge held their first fundraiser for San Francisco shelters and were able to donate over 15,000 diapers. According to Rothberg, a jumbo pack of diapers costs from $15 to $20, averaging out around 20 to 30 cents per diaper. That may not seem like much, but a relatively newborn baby goes through 60 a week. It adds up. He adds that cloth diapers are often not an option for these young mothers, as public laundromats do not allow reusable cloth diapers in their machines, and day care centers don't allow them either.

Help A Mother Out provides a list of organizations that accept donations and often have Amazon.com wishlists. Simply buy what you can afford to give, and have it shipped to the center.

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