Mayor Urges Support for Diaper Drive
Published on April 29, 2021
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird today encouraged the public to support the fourth Walmart Diaper Drive to help Lincoln families Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2. The donated diapers will be used by participants in two programs of the Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD) – the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program and the Healthy Families America home visitation program. The two programs serve about 1,300 families every month.
Diapers can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at all four Walmart locations:
- 4701 N. 27th Street
- 3400 N. 85th Street
- 8700 Andermatt Drive
- 2500 Jamie Lane
StarTran buses will be parked near the entrances to the stores to collect the diapers.
Mayor Gaylor Baird kicked off the drive by presenting a donation of 1,300 diapers from the Mayor’s Office. She noted that, on average, a baby goes through eight to 12 diapers a day, and diapers cost an average of $80 a month per child. She cited national studies showing that one in three families with children aged three and under struggles with the need for diapers.
“The bottom line is that for many families, the cost of these essential items is a burden, and the pandemic has increased the number of families having trouble with the expense,” she said. “The Center for People in Need, for example, reports that requests for diapers have ‘skyrocketed’ over the last year.”
Gaylor Baird said help is on the way. The new American Rescue Plan will provide funding for local agencies to provide emergency supplies, like diapers and wipes, and the Center for People in Need and the Junior League of Lincoln are continuing their efforts to start a Diaper Bank in our community.
“We are also so fortunate to live in a generous community. In its first three years, this drive brought in over 88,000 diapers and 164,000 wipes,” Mayor Gaylor Baird said. “Today, we again call on the community to show their generosity and support to help keep babies healthy and happy.”
The WIC program provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support, community referrals and other services to low-income pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding moms as well as children up to age 5. The Healthy Families America program provides home visitors who help families improve their health status and learn about pregnancy, infant care, postpartum care, and breastfeeding.
For more information on WIC, visit health.lincoln.ne.gov (listed under Dental Health and Nutrition Services). For more information on the Healthy Families America programs, visit health.lincoln.ne.gov (select Community Health Services).