ROCK SPRINGS – Recently the Community Diaper Bank received $3,000 from the Emergency Food And Shelter program to purchase diapers. Diapers are a basic necessity for a baby. They are as important as parental love and food. These funds will be used to help the growing need for diaper assistance in our community.

“We were able to take the funds from the Emergency Food and Shelter grant and, with the help of Smith’s, we were able to get the biggest bang for our buck” stated Amanda DeBernardi, Community Impact and Investment Assistant at United Way of Southwest Wyoming. “Smith’s worked with us on pricing and we were able to purchase over 21,650 diapers with the grant money.”

Once the diapers were purchased, Smith’s employees and their families worked together to deliver, unload, unbox and sort the diapers. “We had some great people who worked hard to get those diapers into our storage area,” stated DeBernardi. “Because of Coyote Creeks’ generosity we have a great place to store the diapers as we issue them to our United Way Community Partners who will then distribute them to families in need.”

Diapers are expensive and can cut into a family’s budget for 2-to-3 years. When families are unable to afford diapers, children suffer. They are left in soiled diapers for long periods of time and this can cause pain and health issues affecting the life of the child. This can make for a very unhappy baby which leads to stress for parents. In extreme cases this stress can lead to child abuse.

Lack of diapers can also limit a family’s childcare options. Many childcare facilities will not allow children to be dropped off without an adequate amount of diapers for the day. A mother or father may have to miss days of work, cutting into their already low income.

Although they play such a key role in a child’s life, diapers are not listed as essentials that can be purchased through federal assistance programs, and many low-income families are affected by a shortage of diapers.

“We are grateful for the people in our community who are willing to volunteer their time and talents,” DeBernardi stated. “The Smith’s employees and their families are a great example of how we can work together to help solve problems in our community.”

Donations for the Community Diaper Bank can be dropped off at the United Way Office – 404 N Street, Ste. 301, Rock Springs. Distribution of diapers will be on a referral basis through our United Way Partners. Please feel free to contact Amanda DeBernardi at 362-5003 or by email at adebernardi@swunitedway.org.