Two social service agencies WestSide Baby and Eastside Baby Corner, are teaming up to bring 2 million disposable diapers to children in need in King County over the next two years the agencies said in a press release today.

According to the release, the diaper need continues to grow with over 10,000* children under three living in poverty in King County, forcing many families to choose between buying diapers and paying bills as diapers are not covered by any government aid program, including food stamps and Women, Infant and Children (WIC) programs. Struggling parents with children in daycare cannot go to work or school when diapers average approximately $100 per month per diapered child and a daily supply of diapers is often required to drop children off at daycare. Having to make these difficult choices adds stress for families, impacts infant and community health and can easily increase the risk of abuse when children need a diaper change and cry. One local social service provider said, “We serve teen moms and buying diapers when they have little to no income sometimes means that they can’t buy food.”

The distribution will be handled through Side by Side Northwest – one of only six recent Regional Diaper Bank Affiliate designations made across the country by the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN). “The Side by Side Northwest program, created by these two agencies working together, taps into their combined strength, sustainability and efficiency, improving the health and safety of children in your community,”  states Joanne Goldblum, NDBN Executive Director.

The two year pilot program was created to increase support for all children in need living in King County and to increase impact for both organizations to help more children and families in the greater Seattle area. “Poverty is a serious and growing problem in King County.

We have families that wrap their babies in newspapers or wash cloths as diaper substitutes in order to use their scarce monetary resources to pay for other basic needs. The Side by Side program focuses on filling this gap, not only getting the diapers to these disadvantaged children, but also the very basic necessities so the parents can focus on getting back on other feet,” said Renee Zimmerman, Eastside Baby Corner Executive Director.

Diapers are just one need for families living in poverty. WestSide Baby and Eastside Baby Corner also collect and distribute essential items to children, free of charge, through approved social service providers throughout King County.

“Our agencies are filling the gap for essential items for more than 700 King County children every week.  We hope this will be a catalyst to allow us to serve even more children with basics such as car seats, portable cribs and clothing.  Together, we can do even more,” said  Nancy Woodland WestSide Baby Executive Director.

These two organizations collectively distributed over $5.4 million in children’s essentials such as clothing, car seats, formula and equipment last year and will continue to expand their efforts throughout this two year pilot program, reaching more children and families throughout King County.

For more information:
www.westsidebaby.org -- (206) 686-3228, 10032 15th Ave SW, Seattle WA 98146.
www.babycorner.org – (425) 865-0234, PO Box 712, Issaquah, WA 98027

About WestSide Baby: WestSide Baby, in partnership with our community, provides essential items to local children in need by collecting and distributing diapers, clothing and equipment. In 2012, WestSide Baby distributed more than $1.6 million in goods to children up to size 12 serving more than 22,000 local children. By partnering with over 80 established social service agencies, we are able to focus simply on the items children need to thrive while trained professionals can address other issues to give families a hand in a time of need.

About Eastside Baby Corner:

Now in its 23rd year, Eastside Baby Corner gives kids what they need to thrive by distributing almost everything kids, birth to age 12, need through a network of family-assistance agencies.

Eastside Baby Corner (EBC) helps kids thrive by providing basic necessities for children so that EBC’s partners—schools, social service agencies, food banks, hospitals--can help families become stable, safe, housed, fed and employed.  Volunteer-centered, EBC takes in donations of children’s clothing and goods from the community and purchases the absolute essentials for children: baby food, formula, car seats, port-a-cribs and diapers. As the vital safety net under family-assistance providers, EBC annually gives out more than 44,000 items, valued at over $3.8 million, for kids from birth to age 12 through almost every organization serving families in greater east King County. Founded by pediatric nurse practitioner, Karen Ridlon in 1990, EBC helps more than 500 children each week
*According to the 2011 American Community Survey