Diaper drive donations accepted in Georgetown, Milton in May

Catholic Charities wants to protect the bottom line - babies’ bottoms - by hosting a diocese-wide diaper drive to benefit Catholic Charities Bayard House Diaper Bank. The diaper drive will continue throughout the month of May. Donors can drop off diapers of all sizes, baby hygiene items and gift cards at all Catholic Charities locations during regular business hours.

Catholic Charities can accept donations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday at the Sussex County office at 406 S Bedford St., Suite 9, Georgetown. For more information, call 302-856-9578. Casa San Francisco at 127 Broad St. in Milton can accept donations seven days a week. Before making a donation, call 302-684-8694.

“May is a time to show support for mothers, and you can demonstrate your support for the mothers in our diocese struggling to meet one of their child’s most basic needs - diapers.

One in three American moms struggles to provide their babies with diapers. This is called diaper need, and there’s very little help or public resources for it,” said Richelle A. Vible, executive director. “By making a diaper donation, you are helping moms in the community provide for their babies’ health and happiness. Diapers may seem like a small thing, but diaper need can severely impact a household’s ability to remain self-sufficient.”

Babies in dirty diapers suffer. It can lead to serious health problems for them and disease outbreaks for entire communities. A healthy change of diapers costs $100 or more each month for all age children. Many parents struggling to pay for rent and food cannot afford the high cost of an adequate supply of diapers for their children. Licensed day care centers require a full day’s supply of disposable, not cloth, diapers.

Food assistance programs, like SNAP or WIC, focus solely on food and nutrition and don’t cover diapers. Cloth diapers are also not an option for low-income families. Most do not have affordable access to washing facilities, and coin-operated laundromats do not allow customers to wash cloth diapers for health and sanitary reasons.

For anyone in need of diapers or anyone who knows of a family that can benefit from the Bayard House Diaper Bank, call Bayard House at 302-654-1184. Families must meet income guidelines and have children of the appropriate age. Cash donations to Bayard House may qualify for tax credits for organizations and individuals who pay Delaware state income taxes. In exchange for a qualified contribution, the NAA provides state tax credits equal to 50 percent of the investment.

For individuals, a qualified donation is $2,500; for businesses, the amount is $10,000. For more information, call Catholic Charities at 302-655-9624. To make a donation using a credit card, go to www.cdow.org/charities and note Diaper Drive in the comments section.