When it comes to the goal of every child thriving, there’s no better place to start than ensuring that infants, toddlers and their financially strapped families have access to diapers and other basic supplies. As costs rise and other safety nets are fall, diapers one of the most requested items at support banks. Meet two organizations and the women who founded them who are addressing that datapoint.
Babies of Homelessness
Eastside resident Star Lalario knows the experience of homelessness firsthand. In 7th grade, she moved into a Spokane shelter with her mom and siblings, an experience that later inspired her to volunteer with organizations serving the unhoused.
In 2016, it became clear to Lalario that many families lived so close to the edge that buying diapers and other essentials for their babies could easily push them over into homelessness.
Lalario began delivering “care packages” that included diapers, wipes, formula, and snacks directly to families facing homelessness. In doing so, she grew close to many families and learned more about their struggles. The seed for the nonprofit Babies of Homelessness was planted.
Today, the nonprofit organization provides such families with baby basics “without the red tape,” but with hope and compassion. According to its website, the small nonprofit has served 28,000 low-income families within the Greater Seattle area since its inception. It has distributed more than 1.5 million diapers.
Westside Baby
Seattleite Donna Pierce was once an overwhelmed new mom, working through the hardships and struggles of motherhood. But she was a mom who could afford diapers, and that inequity moved Pierce to action.
“I was a stressed-out, freaked-out new mom,” said Pierce, who founded the nonprofit Westside Baby in her garage in 2001. “Even though I didn’t have to worry about having enough money to diaper my babies, I knew our community could not stand by while new moms with low incomes, with no healthcare or in unstable housing, could not diaper their babies.”
“Donna tapped into an essential need that wasn’t being met for the West Seattle community,” said Allie Lindsay Johnson, executive director of Westside Baby. Today, across King County, the demand for diapers far exceeds the supply. Johnson stresses that diapers are consistently identified as the number one item families request. After nearly 25 years, ample local support, and thousands of volunteer hours, Westside Baby now runs a large-scale diaper distribution program that stocks local service providers — from food banks to early learning programs.
Last year, Westside Baby distributed 2.3 million diapers, 48,600 hygiene products, and 11,300 bags of clothing to local families with the support of 9,300 volunteer hours.
Support the effort: Learn how you can by visiting westsidebaby.org or babiesofhomelessness.org.
