A group of Democratic women from Hamilton County spend one Wednesday morning each month volunteering at the Indiana Diaper Bank. On Feb. 15, 18 women, among them Carmel City Council At-Large candidate Sara Draper, gathered to sort and bundle diapers to fill the Diaper Bank’s shelves ready for distribution.
Diaper insecurity is a little-known problem in Indiana. State law requires families to provide one diaper for every two hours of daycare. One in three Hoosier families struggle to afford diapers and 57 percent of parents have missed work due to its impacts. It costs a parent around $100 a month to diaper one child.
Carmel City Council At-Large candidate Sara Draper (left) and Rebecca Dworschack. (Photo provided)
“I learned that diaper insecurity is a compounding issue that most often affects women,” Draper said. “Many are forced to ration diapers the last week of the month while awaiting their next paycheck. In doing so, they’re unable to provide enough diapers to their daycare centers, which means they must keep their children home and subsequently, miss work. This, of course, cuts into the vital funds needed to purchase diapers for the next month. It’s a vicious cycle.”
The Indiana Diaper Bank works with 38 community partners such as food pantries, hospitals, and homeless shelters to get diapers to those who need them. In January the diaper bank distributed 102,000 diapers, up 80 percent from the previous year, and expects to supply 110,000 diapers in February.
“During the most recent election cycle, we discovered an incredible amount of Democratic women in Hamilton County,” said Kay Gaither, who suggested volunteering at the Diaper Bank. “We enjoyed working together and we wanted to continue doing good work. We’d love for others to join us.”
To find out more or to donate, go to IndianaDiaperBank.org. Your $20 donation would diaper one child for one month.