Local organization collects diapers for nonprofits to give to families

CHARLOTTE — Diapers are one of the biggest expenses facing parents of young children. It’s estimated that half of those families struggle to afford diapers.

All this week, Channel 9 is working to raise awareness of the need for diaper donations in our community. You may not know, but there’s a North Carolina Diaper Bank here in Charlotte filling the critical need for so many families.

There’s never a slow moment inside one north Charlotte warehouse that houses donated diapers. Almost everyone working there is a volunteer.

The Diaper Bank here is one of 300 locations in the U.S. and the only one in Charlotte. Avery Payne is the director and the only one actually on the payroll. It’s a demanding job because there’s so much demand for the items.

“We distributed almost 400,000 diapers last year. That covered 4% of the need in Mecklenburg County, and when you have a statistic like that, what we need is continuous community support of the work that we’re doing,” Payne said.

Lexi Marasco is happy to provide that support. She’s been volunteering there since the diaper bank opened in 2022. She’s wrapped so many diapers that she’s earned the title “certified diaper wrapper.”

But the bank doesn’t just collect baby diapers. They also distribute adult incontinence products and period products.

“I didn’t know the disparity in the community, I had no idea period products weren’t classified as necessities, they’re classified as household items by the FDA,” Marasco said. “I think that’s something that’s super important for people to know.”

“The big reason is there’s no federal support program or government support programs to help purchase the items, like SNAP — food stamps — or WIC,” Payne said. “Neither of them cover the purchasing of our supplies, so that forces families to have to make really difficult decisions across all economic levels.”

The packages are distributed to other nonprofits across area the area, which get them to families who otherwise might not have them. Those are the families who Payne says would then face some tough choices.

“We see families who will skip meals in order to buy diapers,” he said. “We see families who will eat a meal but get a larger size for their smaller baby because they think it will last longer and hold more.”

He knows many people still don’t realize the need for donations like this but he’s working on that. One diaper at a time, he and Marasco are making a difference in our community.

You can help the cause by donating diapers and other products at six participating Walmart stores as part of our 9 Diaper Drive. Our collection runs through Saturday, Sept. 28.

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