Event deemed a success for General Health District diaper bank
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STEUBENVILLE -- Thanks to a joint diaper drive between the Toronto and Edison school districts, the Jefferson County General Health District amassed 23,000 diapers for its community diaper bank, which is slated to begin distribution next year.
The football game between the schools on Sept. 22 saw health department representatives speaking with attendees about diaper needs and collecting diapers in observance of National Diaper Need Awareness Week, which ran Sept. 18-24. Kylie Smogonovich, a registered nurse with the health department, said elementary and high schools from each district contributed to the drive in various ways in addition to the football game.
Diaper drive events included diaper collections, dress down days and pie-throwing -- Toronto High School even created a papier-mâché golden diaper trophy for whichever school could collect the most diapers. Ultimately, Edison took home the golden diaper, but both schools contributed greatly to the health department's community diaper bank.
So far, Smogonovich said, the department has collected more than 25,000 diapers for the bank, which is planned to benefit individuals in Jefferson County. The health department has been working on the diaper bank since July, but research started six months earlier.
"(Observing) the families that we were working with through our Maternal and Child Health, Cribs for Kids and (Women, Infants and Children) programs, we were finding that an unmet need that they were having was with diapers," Smogonovich said. "So, we started to do some brainstorming on how we could help to meet that need."
Only 37 of Ohio's 88 counties are served by a diaper bank, Smogonovich said, and Jefferson County's neighboring counties -- with the exception of Belmont -- are serviced by a diaper bank, although Jefferson itself currently is not.
According to the National Diaper Bank Network, one in two U.S. families struggles with a diaper need. It is an "unseen need," Smogonovich said, and it can have reverberating effects on society and the workforce.
Often, Smogonovich added, families with a diaper need are met with food or utility insecurities because "they're having to skip out on buying those goods or paying for (utilities) to be able to purchase diapers.
"It also exposes children to unnecessary health risks if they're unable to have diapers on. I've spoken to families that are using women's feminine products or T-shirts on their children when they can't find diapers. And, more than 70 percent of families that are experiencing diaper need have a negative mental health impact, worrying about if they're being good parents or if they're able to take care of their family."
Diaper banks typically provide supplements of between 25 and 50 diapers per month, Smogonovich said. She added that the National Diaper Bank Network lobbies to "make diapers more accessible and affordable," lobbying for legislation that includes the removal of sales tax on diapers, which took effect in Ohio on Oct. 1.
Smogonovich said she had reached out to neighboring diaper banks and asked if they could expand their services to Jefferson County. That was not possible, they said.
At that point, Smogonovich said, the health department decided to form its own diaper bank. The Toronto-Edison diaper drive, was one of the health department's efforts to raise diapers for the bank.
Other efforts included Smogonovich speaking to students about diaper need, as well as a Dashing for Diapers Holiday 5-K scheduled for Dec. 2 at Belleview Park. The health department is looking for sponsors for the 5-K, which will occur the same day as Beatty Park's Christmas in the Park and Steubenville's Christmas parade. Diapers will be collected, and all proceeds will benefit the diaper bank's fund.
Smogonovich said the health department plans to begin accepting applications soon. Based on a preliminary survey of the department's WIC program, 93 percent of members said they would benefit from a diaper bank.
"We do have a large need here, and we want to make sure we have means to service them," Smogonovich said.
The diaper bank's target age range will be newborns through 3-year-olds. Individuals in the program will receive a monthly, size-dependent diaper supplement -- modeled after other diaper banks' systems: Newborns to size five will receive 25 per month, and anyone larger will receive 15.
Smogonovich said the health department is accepting donations of any size or brand of diapers during its open hours -- Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesday from noon to 5:30 p.m.; and Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The department also accepts monetary donations, which Smogonovich said are tax-deductible.
Also, the department is seeking volunteers for a yet-unscheduled Christmas diaper wrapping event.
"Anyone who's interested in hosting a diaper drive or any type of diaper event, we're more than happy to collaborate ... to provide education or any community involvement between any local clubs, organizations or schools," Smogonovich said.
The diaper bank will offer an opportunity to point families toward other appropriate programs and vice versa, Smogonvich said. Other local agencies have already expressed support and the desire to collaborate, she said.
Health Commissioner Andrew Henry said of the diaper bank, "It's a new program that serves the community and really shows the creativity of our staff, and that's really important to me, as a leader, to know that you have staff that are constantly looking at ways to improve our reach in the community. The community impact is instrumental, but it also speaks volumes to the type of employees that we have here."