First Burgh Baby Diaper Drive launches in February–and you can help!

According to the National Diaper Bank Network, one in three American families struggles to buy diapers for their children. “Some are forced to keep their kids in soiled diapers for extended time periods,” says Heather Hopson, a local mom blogger and organizer of the first Burgh Baby Diaper Drive.

The diaper drive, hosted by Hopson in partnership with the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, kicks off on February 1. Through both monetary and diaper donations, Hopson and her partners aim to deliver 50,000 diapers to needy Pittsburgh families over the coming months.

Hopson believes the drive is an absolute necessity. “Each day moms must choose between diapers, which cost up to $100 per month per baby, or other essentials such as food. This is called diaper need and I knew I had to do something to help. So I contacted the local diaper bank and recruited Pittsburgh area mom bloggers to get the word out. And the Burgh Baby Diaper Drive was born.”

Interested individuals can donate packages or boxes of diapers of any size (although larger sizes are most needed) at several local churches, including the Smithfield United Church of Christ in Downtown Pittsburgh, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Wilkinsburg and Shiloh Community Missionary Baptist Church in Homewood. A full listing of donation sites is available here. Tax-deductible monetary donations are also being accepted here.

“With a Valentine’s Day theme, we felt February was the perfect time to show our love to Pittsburgh’s smallest citizens through a simple gift of diapers,” says Pastor Phillip Battle, founder and president of the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank.

The Burgh Baby Diaper Drive will continue through February 28.

Featured Photo: Burgh Baby Diaper Drive, Photo courtesy of Diary of a First Time Mom.