A mother and daughter were stuck in a cycle: though enrolled in a program that provides childcare and support for the mother to work towards self-sufficiency – the two attended only sporadically. The pair began receiving diapers from the Greater DC Diaper Bank, one of Jake’s Diapers Diaper Drop partners. Subsequently, attendance at this support program improved.
“The case manager asked her what had changed – they were delighted to be seeing more of the family! The mother replied that with the diapers coming from the program, she could now afford bus fare to get to the program regularly,” said Lisa Oksala of the Greater DC Diaper Bank. “As a result, her daughter benefitted from early education and nutrition programs, and the mother got to work more closely with the case manager to address other challenges in her life.
The Greater DC Diaper Bank serves families living in the DC area, where recent studies show a base income of $106,000 vital to living moderately comfortable while raising two children. Since this is such an expensive area to live, families are stretching and making difficult decisions every day to ensure their kids have what they need, Lisa said.
“We are grateful to have the ability to offer options to the families we’re working with, and meet them where they are,” Lisa said. “One of our partners (the one who has been most interested in cloth diapers) is a doula program specifically for low-income African American mothers, who are most at risk for postpartum maternal health challenges. Packages from Jake’s allows this program to present cloth diapering as an option for these parents who might otherwise not have a choice.”
Working with Jake’s to supply diapers to her area has been extremely helpful to impacting people in that community.
“The fact that the packages we get from Jake’s come ready to go,” she said, “Organized and understandable for mamas who are in the middle of life with a brand new one – makes all the difference in the world.”
About Our Diaper Drop Partners
DC Diaper Bank is just one of our many Diaper Drop partners Jake’s Diapers features regularly to shed light on the stories of the people we serve in order to increase awareness about the impact a donation of hygiene products can have on a single individual.
Make your impact today! A donation of $16 solves diaper need for moms and babies like the ones in our story.