Hurricane Michael has devastated Florida. This fund will provide diapers at no cost to struggling families, who are recovering and rebuilding. When we think about disaster recovery, we tend to think about hunger, homelessness, and clean water. Diapers are an overlooked, yet crucial, basic need. All babies deserve to be clean, dry, and healthy.
Diapers are an overlooked basic need and no federal safety net programs (WIC, food stamps), nor federal disaster relief, provide diapers. This is a problem for families in poverty, now being amplified by Hurricane Michael. Meeting basic diapering needs is a struggle, and many families find themselves forced to choose between food, rent, and diapers. All babies deserve to be clean, dry, and healthy.
Just 12 cloth diapers can diaper a baby from infancy through potty-training, meaning these babies can finally have enough diapers to stay clean, dry, and healthy. When we alleviate the ongoing financial burden of diaper costs, recipients are empowered to pursue a higher quality of life and barriers out of poverty are removed. A diaper can turn everything around: Many mothers who've received this gift from Jake's Diapers cry with the sense of relief these diapers provide.
As families continue to have their diaper needs solved, they are able to save funds and plan for future improvements in their care. This can mean adding educational programs, offering better healthcare, improved quality of food (more protein!) - all steps that set these babies up for long term survival and productive members of society.