DARE Co., N.C. - If you have ever had a child, you know how expensive diapers can be.
With many people out of work right now due to COVID-19, some parents are worried about providing for their kids. They said diapers are expensive and they feel the sting of the pricetag.
"We know diapers can cost up to $100 a month and WIC and food stamps don't pay for diapers, which a lot of people don't know," said Carla Heppert, the Education & Outreach Coordinator for Children & Youth Partnership for Dare County; a nonprofit that serves children and youth families in Dare County through early literacy programs and family programs.
Now, factor in a pandemic and the lost wages from unemployment, parents find themselves needing help.
"Now with COVID, we know that families are struggling. We know that paying for diapers and then paying for rent, people are going to choose to pay their rent," said Heppert.
So Carla Heppert and the folks at Children & Youth Partnership for Dare County (CYP) figured out a way to help.
Starting on Monday, CYP will be giving away free diapers to Dare County families during their contactless diaper pick-up.
"[The people needing assistance will] call our office upon arrival and let us know their size needs and a staff member will pull their sizes and take them out to a designated table in the parking lot and then once the staff member returns to their office, the family can get out of the car and pick up their diapers," said Heppert.
The limit is two packs per family and they have the option of sizes newborn through six. Quantities are limited.
"[Parents] see it and they're like 'okay this is something that I absolutely need that I wasn't going to be able to afford and now I'm going to be able to be a good parent.' They really equate it to being a good parent that they are able to provide fresh, clean diapers regularly for their child," she said.
The diaper bank pick-up goes from Monday to Thursday at the Center for CYP located at 534 Ananias Dare St., Manteo, NC 27954.
CYP is hoping that with community donations they'll be able to make this a monthly event for Dare County families.
