This week, Sept. 25-Oct. 1, is Diaper Need Awareness Week, and the Austin Diaper Bank is celebrating with an open house at its warehouse to recognize all those who supported its
Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. Since the storm, the bank has distributed more than 780,000 baby and adult diapers to areas around Texas that were impacted by Harvey.
The open house is on Friday, Sept. 29, from 4-7 p.m., at the Austin Diaper Bank, which is located at 8711 Burnet Road, Ste. B-34. More information about the event can be found
here.
"Diaper Need Awareness Week is a great time for the public to learn how the diapers distributed year-round by the Austin Diaper Bank make a difference for thousands of Central Texas families who struggle to afford diapers," Austin Diaper Bank Executive Director Holly McDaniel said in a news release. "Diaper need impacts an estimated 12,000 babies and toddlers in Travis County alone, in addition to a growing number of adults."
Diaper need is the lack of a sufficient supply of diapers to keep an infant, toddler or senior clean, dry and healthy, according to the National Diaper Bank Network.
One in three U.S. mothers reports suffering from diaper need, according to the network. Because babies requires six to 10 diapers a day, the monthly cost of diapers can be as much as $80.
Many childcare centers and early education programs require disposable diapers as a condition of enrollment, meaning that parents who cannot afford to supply them cannot access the childcare necessary for them to work.
Federal assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC), do not cover diapers.
Since its founding in 2013, the Austin Diaper Bank has provided more than 750,000 diapers to over 4,000 Central Texans through a network of partner organizations.