We are so overwhelmed and very humbled by the response to our article featured in last month’s newsletter “How Can a Box of Diapers Prevent Child Abuse in St. Louis?”. With diaper donations from the Little Lambs Baby Shower, group collections, and private donations, we have more diapers than we had ever thought we would! However, we always have little bottoms that need fresh diapers, and thankfully, we have clean diapers to keep them dry, healthy, and happy.

Each program that we serve has clients in diapers, and our staff has reported how much of a blessing it is to have diapers to bring to babies in foster care, toddlers in our maternity shelter, moms in crises in our expectant parent program, or infants who have recently been placed in an adoptive home.

The social workers in our Expectant Parent program, who work with moms in the community, have expressed the gratitude their clients have when they bring them diapers. One worker spoke of a mom who has three month old twins. She has plenty of newborn diapers from her baby shower, but now is struggling to provide diapers that fit her boys as they grow. Thankfully, we were able to help her out and bring her a few diapers that fit properly on both of her babies. Another worker brought a few boxes of diapers to a family with an 18 month old, and they were elated with the supply of diapers!

In the Expectant Parent program, a box of diapers can have a purpose higher than keeping babies clean and dry. When one of our social workers meets a client who may be scared, reluctant, or nervous about starting our Expectant Parent program, a box of diapers can help to break the ice. Moms that are overwhelmed or need a little bit of extra help can receive diapers, and then start to talk about receiving counseling or parenting education. Diapers not only help to meet babies’ immediate needs, but can also help be the gateway into helping moms (and dads) become better parents to their babies.

Thank you to all who have donated diapers to our moms and babies in need! Our diaper room in our donation center (see below) is filled to the brim with diapers of all sizes, which is an incredible feat only made possible by the amazing generosity of all of you. We are so grateful to have such wonderful supporters, and to be able to ensure that every newborn, baby, and toddler that we serve has a clean and dry diaper.