Not all moms are receiving wrapped presents or are going out for a Mother’s Day celebration today. For many, it’s a normal day of being strong and trying to do the best for their children yet struggling to afford even clean diapers. Members of Mothers & More and their communities nationwide are celebrating Mother’s Day by helping other moms, and they invite you to take only a few minutes to “Make A Mother’s Day” too! With your gift you may remember or honor a special mom in your life.
Motherhood is tough, and without clean diapers, it becomes exponentially tougher for moms and their children. No mother should have to struggle with depression, anxiety, sick children, an inability to send her child to child care and even job loss because she can’t afford enough clean diapers for her child. No mother should have to be that strong.
Mothers & More honors all moms as they find strength each day to take care of their families and themselves. During April and May, Mothers & More chapters in more than 26 communities across the United States are holding diaper drives to collect diapers and donations for low-income mothers who can not afford this basic necessity. As part of Mothers & More’s 15th Annual Mother’s Day Campaign, Chapters are holding special events and providing collection boxes at drop-off locations in partnership with grocery stores, schools, recreation centers, libraries and other locations.
Porter County, IN Chapter of Mothers & More is collecting diapers in 11 different locations and has collected more than 2,500 diapers, which is more than 4 times what they collected last year during the Mother’s Day Campaign.
Chapters will distribute the donations they collect to their local diaper banks or community organizations including women’s shelters, houses for pregnant and parenting women in need, organizations serving homeless and low-income children and other nonprofit organizations. Donations collected here on the Mothers & More website will be distributed to the National Diaper Bank Network which has 230+ diaper bank members operating in 46 states to raise awareness, collect donations and distribute diapers to families in need.
Oakland County Lakes Area, MI Chapter of Mothers & More has already collected more than 10,000 diapers with support from community members and local businesses including Krogers, Meijer’s, Target, Walmart and UHaul. “To me, THIS is what our organization is about. Helping each other and as many moms as we can” said Leah Halpin, member of Oakland County Chapter.
Chester County/Main Line, PA Chapter of Mothers & More proudly displays donations they collected during their Make A Mother’s Day Diaper Drive.
Mothers & More members are passionate about helping other moms, especially since nearly one-third of mothers in the US struggle to afford enough clean diapers to keep their children clean and healthy. Federal anti-poverty programs such as food stamps (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP) do not help pay for diapers, which can cost $70 or more per month per child. This is known as #DiaperNeed, and is a direct cause of maternal depression and anxiety according to a 2013 study published in Pediatrics.
What can you do to help other moms this Mother’s Day and everyday? Make a diaper donation, support a Mothers & More diaper drive or hold your own, advocate for the removal of state taxes on diapers, advocate for other issues that affect women and mothers through organizations like MomsRising, and as Joanne Samuel Goldblum, Executive Director of the National Diaper Bank Network writes in a recent article in The Washington Post, “we can stop judging” mothers who live in poverty and whose children are hurt by bad policies.