Members of the community are being asked to donate unopened baby diapers to be distributed by the North County Food Bank to families in need.
Oceanside, CA – Assemblywoman Laurie Davies, in partnership with the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank’s North County Food Bank chapter, is leading a diaper drive to support military and other families in North County on Friday, June 28th. Members of the community are being asked to donate unopened baby diapers to be distributed by charitable organizations to families throughout San Diego County, including military families in North County.
“Young families are experiencing rising costs on everything throughout the state as a result of higher inflation,” stated Assemblywoman Davies. “The cost to live in Oceanside and Vista are 142.5% of the national average. If a family can receive free diapers, it helps to ease their financial burden and they can focus their spending on other essential household needs. Our diaper drive will serve as a valuable resource in supporting the military and other families living in the Oceanside, Vista, Fallbrook and Camp Pendleton among other North County communities.”
The San Diego Food Bank started the first state-funded Diaper Bank Program in 2017 to provide much-needed diapers to low-income parents in an ongoing effort to lift them out of poverty. Since its inception, the program has distributed over 34.5 million diapers. However, state funding of $1.2 million a year has been cut and the Food Bank is in the process of sourcing other options to ensure full funding for families who depend on the diaper bank as a dependable resource.
“The San Diego Food Bank operates our Diaper Bank Program out of our North County Food Bank warehouse. Despite what hurdles we may have to overcome considering state budget cuts to this program, we remain dedicated to keeping this program operational,” said San Diego Food Bank CEO, Casey Castillo.
“We’ve proactively taken steps internally to explore other funding sources. However, we need the community’s help, now more than ever, to raise awareness of this critical program while giving those who want to help a tangible way to support our efforts.”
Five out of the Food Bank’s existing 100 plus diaper bank program partners are focused specifically on serving military families. Currently, the San Diego Food Bank provides food and basic resources like diapers to 39,000 military families every month through their network of more than 500 nonprofit partners countywide.
Diaper drive details for Friday, June 28th are below:
OCEANSIDE DROP-OFF FRIDAY, JUNE 28TH • 9AM-1PM Walmart: 2100 Vista Way, Oceanside, CA 92054
VISTA DROP-OFF FRIDAY, JUNE 28TH • 9AM-1PM Walmart: 1800 University Drive, Vista, CA 92083
The Diaper Bank was inspired by former Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher, who came to the Food Bank looking for a solution to a problem many of her low-income constituents faced.
The Impact of Diapers
The Food Bank started the Diaper Bank Program to help solve an important piece of the poverty puzzle for young parents living in poverty by giving them the hand up they need to work for their families. Diapers are expensive — a month’s supply for one child can cost between $70 and $80, and diapers cannot be purchased with CalFresh benefits or WIC. As a result, parents try to make do without diapers by stretching their supply by leaving babies in dirty diapers longer or by reusing diapers.
A diaper is a small thing, but its impact is significant. Not having diapers means parents cannot leave their children with a childcare provider, most of whom require parents to provide disposable diapers for their children. So, parents cannot go to work to earn money. Not having diapers means a longer time between changes, which can lead to severe diaper rash and other health problems. Not having diapers means that babies who cry, because their diaper is dirty, will cry that much longer, increasing stress for parents struggling to make ends meet. And not having diapers can adversely affect a mother’s feeling of self-worth, negatively impacting the mother-child bond.
The need is significant. A healthy child will require an average of 50 diaper changes a week. That’s approximately 2,600 diaper changes a year. According to the National Diaper Bank Network’s 2023 report, 47% of households in a nationally representative sample of U.S. households with children under age 4 are experiencing diaper need.
The Diaper Bank Program helps distribute diapers to families in need through existing food distribution programs and through its network of 100 dedicated diaper partners. They provide much-needed diapers to low-income parents who reside in San Diego County so they can remain employed, provide for their families, and lift themselves out of poverty.
Are You a Family in Need of Diapers?
The Food Bank partners with several nonprofit organizations to distribute diapers throughout San Diego County. Each location has different operating hours and may have different eligibility criteria to receive diapers. Visit SanDiegoFoodBank.org/Diapers for more information.
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Resources:
North County Food Bank Diaper Distribution Locations in AD 74
Days and Hours of Distribution Monday – Friday from 6:30 am – 10:45 am; Saturdays 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Rescheduled for Holidays Closed in 2024 on: Jan 1, May 27, Jul 4, Sep 2
Mission San Luis Rey Parish – 4070 Mission Avenue Oceanside, CA 92029
Days and Hours of Distribution 4th Saturday of the month from 8:00am to 9:00am
Rescheduled for Holidays May 2024: rescheduled to Saturday, May 18; Nov 2024: rescheduled to Saturday, Nov 16; Dec 2024: rescheduled to Saturday, Dec 21
SDFB North County Food Bank – 3030 Enterprise Court, Suite A Vista, CA 92081
Days and Hours of Distribution Monday – Friday from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm; closed from 12:00 PM-1:00 PM; by appointment only schedule online at www.calendly.com/NCPantry
Rescheduled for Holidays Closed in 2024 on: Jan 1, Jan 15, Feb 19, Apr 1, May 27, Jun 19, Jul 4, Sep 2, Oct 14, Nov 11, Nov 28, Nov 29, Dec 24, Dec 25, Dec 31