Diaper Drive Kicks Off
Left, Patti Cahill and Laura Pfeil, organizers of the community diaper drive for United Way of Portage County, pose for a photo in front of diapers collected at the kickoff event for No Child’s Wet Behind on Friday, May 10, at the Women’s Fund of Portage County’s Spring Luncheon. The diaper drive will run through Father’s Day weekend, with collection sites at NAPA and Shopko stores in Stevens Point and Plover. (Contributed photo)
For the City-Times
Nearly half of the people attending the Women’s Fund of Portage County’s Annual Spring Luncheon Friday, May 10, provided a diaper or monetary donation to help United Way of Portage County kick off its first-ever No Child’s Wet Behind community diaper drive.
United Way received approximately 80 packages of diapers and a dozen monetary donations for the diaper drive at the Spring Luncheon. Addressing the attendees, United Way of Portage County 2013 Campaign Co-Chair Erin Andrews said the donations will help United Way satisfy a need local agencies said exists in this community. “Last year alone, 600 referrals for diapers were filled, and with the help of this drive, it’s hoped a lot more can be distributed,” she said.
Diapers will be collected at NAPA and Shopko stores in Stevens Point and Plover through Father’s Day weekend, June 16. In addition, a number of local churches are also collecting diapers. People can also send monetary donations to United Way of Portage County, c/o “Diaper Drive”, 1100 Centerpoint Drive, Ste. 302, Stevens Point, WI 54481. United Way has already received an anonymous $5,000 donation for the drive.
The NAPA Distribution Center in Stevens Point will store the diapers and volunteers will sort them for distribution, which will be done through Emergency Services via Operation Bootstrap.
United Way Director of Community Impact Patti Cahill, one of the diaper drive organizers, said infants and toddlers need frequent diaper changes to be healthy, and a lack of diapers can jeopardize a family’s ability to remain economically stable. She noted a month’s supply of diapers costs $100 per child, and because diapers cannot be purchased with food stamps or WIC, many families struggle to come up with this cost.
For more information, contact United Way of Portage County at 715-341-6740 or [email protected].