Got diapers? Diaper Train needs to collect 435,000 diapers to help families in need
The Raleigh-based Diaper Train, which distributes diapers to needy families in Wake County, is putting a call out for diaper donations after its major supplier opted to part ways with the nonprofit.
In 2016, the Diaper Train and the Durham-based Diaper Bank of North Carolina partnered to help serve Raleigh families. At the time, the plan was for the Diaper Bank to provide 70,000 diapers a month to the Diaper Train.
But, in late June, the Diaper Bank's board voted to dissolve the partnership. The Diaper Bank, a member of the National Diaper Bank Network, operates regional branches in the Triangle, Triad and Lower Cape Fear.
“We determined we can reach more families, grow community engagement, and increase measurable outcomes by reallocating diapers through other channels," the Diaper Bank's board chair Joshua Cohen said in a press release.
After deciding to part ways, the Diaper Bank delivered a truck full of diapers to the Diaper Train, which allows them to fill all of their orders through mid-August from their home base at the St. Savior's Center near downtown Raleigh's Glenwood South.
Michelle Old, the Diaper Bank's executive director, said the group also has offered to help the Diaper Train during the transition and plans to remain an ally in the Diaper Train's efforts to get diapers to those who need them. The Diaper Bank continues to help families in Wake County through other community partnerships.
“Diaper Bank of North Carolina has the utmost respect for St. Saviour’s Center and its work,” Old said in the release. “We have no doubt the proud legacy of Diaper Train will continue in the Wake County community.”
But the Diaper Bank's decision now means that the Diaper Train must come up with new sources for diaper donations. Leaders say the group needs to collect 435,000 diapers and to raise $75,000 by the end of the year to ensure babies get the diapers they need.
"The need in our area remains great. Just as we did before this supplier approached us, we're going to help these families and children. We need our community to rise to the challenge with us," said Sharon Hayes, executive director of Saint Saviour's Center where the Diaper Train is located, in a press release.
There are several ways to support the Diaper Train, which is located at 616 Tucker St. in Raleigh.
Diapers can be donated by dropping them off at the Tucker Street location. Sizes 4 and up are big needs. Already, local churches have responded by saying they will hold drives to help, according to a press release.
Financial contributions make the biggest impact as diapers can be purchased at a large discount, according to the release. Donations can be made online on the Saint Saviour’s Center's website.
