Public health agency asking for people’s “diapers or dollars” this Saturday - East Idaho News

POCATELLO – A public health agency is holding a drive to gather donations that go towards supplying families with a critical child care product.

Southeastern Idaho Public Health is holding a diaper drive on Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Albertsons. On Saturday, two nursing students will collect both diapers and baby wipes as well as monetary donations to supply and fund the public health agency’s diaper bank.

“There are families that will go without any kind of donations, so we’ll take donations small or big. It doesn’t matter,” said Dana Soloman, Diaper Bank coordinator.

The goal of this diaper drive is to collect 2,000 diapers, which would fulfill a one-month inventory for the diaper bank. While diapers and baby wipe donations are appreciated, monetary donations go even further because Soloman can buy diapers at a cheaper rate.

“We love it either way, diapers or dollars,” Soloman said.

To buy a pallet of diapers, it’s between $2,000 to $2,400, which allows the bank to diaper around 480 children. For sizes one through three, up to 50 diapers per month are available. For sizes four through six, there’s a monthly allotment of 25.

Soloman said that it’s important for people to know how important diapers are for the health development of babies and toddlers.

Children who are left in diapers for too long face health risks and cry more often, causing further strain on the parents. Despite their importance, SNAP funds or WIC don’t cover diapers.

“My goal is to keep children clean, dry and healthy,” Soloman said.

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