- Last week, diaper bank leaders in Holt and Mason told Neighborhood Reporter Sarah Poulos that there is a shortage of diaper shortage.
- 8CAP, a non-profit, distributes diapers to the Capital Area Diaper Bank.
- Video shows neighbors and local leaders discussing the dire need of donations for diapers.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I’m your Holt neighborhood reporter, Sarah Poulos, reporting from Delta Township in Will Lemmink’s neighborhood.
Will: And Sarah, welcome to Delta Township. We’re here at the Capital Area Diaper Bank inside the Lansing Mall, where there could be a big change in how many families they’re able to serve.
Sarah: Yes, Will, I spoke with a mother in Holt last week who told me the number of diapers she regularly receives each month might change due to a major supply cut.
Will: I also spoke with a mother here in Delta Township about how this diaper bank provides more than just diapers.
The Capital Area Diaper Bank is part of the Fretail Store. I’ve reported before on how the store supports neighbors in need.
On this visit, I met Harley Buffington.
As a new mother, Harley was looking for help with some essentials.
“I was freshly new into doing everything on my own, so I was trying to find resources,” she said.
Helping her children meant ensuring they had diapers—but she needed assistance to afford them.
At the diaper bank, she’s able to get 100 free diapers a month for her two children, along with wipes. She says the support gives her peace of mind.
“Not stressing when I’m going to run out of diapers or if I have enough in my account to go buy diapers—I know I can always depend on them,” Harley explained.
But Linda Karl, director of the Capital Area Diaper Bank, says a cut in the number of diapers could make it harder to help parents like Harley.
Across the street from the Lansing Mall, I spoke with Lynn Ross, owner of Mother and Earth Kids Store, who explained the importance of clean diapers.
“Diapers have gone up in price exponentially. It’s a huge cost when it comes to having a child, aside from all the other essentials. But diapers are really important to health,” Ross said.
Back at the Lansing Mall, Harley told me the help she received at the diaper bank went far beyond just diapers.
[At the] Fretail Store, Linda and Mike Karl provided her with resources to find stable housing.
“They started giving me a whole bunch of resources and options,” Harley shared.
She went from living in a shelter to transitional housing and is now on her way to permanent housing.
“They finally told me the other day I got accepted into permanent supportive housing, and I will be moving within two weeks,” she added.
Will: Really, a new beginning for Harley and her family—all thanks to this store.
Sarah: Yes, Will, but the number of families like Harley’s who can be helped might decrease due to a 50 percent cut in the diaper supply across our neighborhoods. I’m continuing to investigate how we got here and why.
I started reporting on this issue last week when the director of a diaper bank in my neighborhood of Holt told me their supply of diapers is running out—at least for now.
A diaper bank gives away free diapers to neighbors in need.
"This is an essential part of the community; it's a big one," one neighbor said.
I began asking questions about the supply issue and learned that the free diapers in Holt come from the Capital Area Diaper Bank.
"When we don't have these diapers, it's a trickling effect. That means no one else gets them either," said Linda Karl of the Capital Area Diaper Bank.
Karl explained that the Capital Area Diaper Bank provides diapers to 10 different diaper banks throughout mid-Michigan. Last year, they gave out 350,000 diapers.
"I actually became the hub for this area. We service four counties: Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, and Shiawassee Counties," she said.
The diaper bank acts as a hub for the nonprofit 8CAP.
8CAP typically sends diapers to the Capital Area Diaper Bank, which then distributes them to various diaper banks across mid-Michigan, including one that many of my neighbors visit—the Salvation Army.
"With inflation and the cost of living right now, families are needing more and more help," Karl said.
However, Karl told me that 8CAP won’t be sending any more diapers to the Capital Area Diaper Bank until October. She said this will cut her supply by 50 percent.
I wanted to know why.
8CAP told me that the two-year supply of funding set aside for the Capital Area Diaper Bank was used up in less than a year and a half.
That means the diaper banks in my neighborhood are in dire need.
"We will take any diapers we can get—any sizes we can get," Karl said.
For now, Karl is left with a question:
"What's going to happen to those babies? That's what I want to know."
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