Diaper Bank Draws Attention To Commonly Overlooked Need

Low-income families with young children often get stuck with an expense that stinks: Diapers.

Many social safety nets for low-income families such food stamp programs and initiatives like Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and Medicare fail to provide diapers, a necessity for young families and senior citizens. A steady supply can average $100 per month.

Kristin Grode's nonprofit, The Diaper Drive is just one of a host of organizations across the country that attempt to fill this void.

The Echo Press reports that Grode started the bank to address the shortage of supplies in shelters, and lack of public agencies providing what she identifies as a "basic human need."

Since its creation, the drive has collected over 75,000 diapers and attracted over 70 agencies across the Midwest interested in becoming distribution centers.

Similar ventures dedicated to this mission include an LA Diaper Drive, The Diaper Bank in New Haven, CT, and Destiny Diaper Bank of Southwest, FL, which seeks to accommodate the elderly along with toddlers.