BERKSHIRE COMMUNITY DIAPER PROJECT INC
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Mission Statement
To combat diaper need in Berkshire County, Massachusetts by providing diapers to qualified partnering agencies (eg. food pantries and human service agencies) who then distribute our diapers to families in need.
About This Cause
The Berkshire Community Diaper Project (BCDP) is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) organization and a member of the National Diaper Bank Network. The BCDP was founded in September 2014 in response to research conducted by Dr. Megan Smith of the Child Study Center at the Yale School of Medicine which showed a strong correlation between the diaper need of low-income mothers and the occurrence of maternal depression. According to their study, diaper need – even more than food insufficiency – is a daily stressor that contributes to stress and mental health struggles for mothers. Additionally, children who wear soiled diapers are at risk of rashes and infections; their irritable crying may also put them at risk for abuse or neglect from frustrated, depressed parents. Additionally, research conducted by the National Diaper Bank Network in 2023 showed almost 1 in 2 families struggle to afford diapers. Of those, one in four reported having missed more than 5 days of work in the prior 30 days due to not having a sufficient supply of diapers to utilize day care. Unlike the basic need of food, diapers are not covered by the WIC or SNAP programs – so low-income families often must choose between purchasing diapers and covering other routine expenses such as heat, housing, and transportation. Because children must have a supply of disposable diapers to attend day care, parents who do not have a sufficient supply of diapers may have to miss school, training, or work, which contributes to the difficulty of moving out of poverty. Our organization partners with local businesses and community groups to raise money, we apply for grant funding, and we seek individual contributions. We then purchase and deliver diapers to 27 food pantries and agencies that serve low-income families with young children throughout Berkshire County. We have distributed increasing numbers of diapers each year, totaling more than 2.5 million diapers since the BCDP was begun. More than 3,000 children in Berkshire County are enrolled in the three local WIC programs (up from 2,000 in 2014), meaning their parents fall at or below the Federal Poverty Level, or up to 185% of this level. In addition, families whose seasonal employment may drop off, or who may incur a large financial setback (i.e. car repairs, medical bills) may be temporarily unable to afford diapers. Lastly, we know transitory community members and others may be reluctant to apply for government programs – these people will, however, often access food and diapers from the many food pantries in Berkshire County. As a member of the National Diaper Bank Network, we can purchase diapers below retail cost. Additionally, because Ray Murray, Inc. of Lee, Massachusetts has donated warehouse space to the BCDP, we save substantially on shipping and have no storage costs. This allows BCDP to purchase and store shipments of diapers for distribution throughout Berkshire County well below the cost that individuals or even local human service agencies would pay.