State Rep. Kathy Kennedy with a car full of diapers during the annual Milford diaper drive. Contributed photo.
Milford’s legislative delegation, along with the United Way of Milford and TEAM Inc., hosted collected over 9,000 diapers during the recently-completed city-wide diaper drive for in-need Milford families.
Reps. Kathy Kennedy, Charles Ferraro, Kim Rose and state Sen. James Maroney spearheaded the drive.
“I am proud to help sponsor this diaper drive. Diapers are not luxury item for families; they are a vital component of the health and well-being of infants and toddlers,” said Kennedy. “I have heard too many horrific stories that the high cost of diapers, leading to some babies spending a day or longer in one diaper. No child should be left in filthy diapers.”
“I was honored once again to work with the United Way in increasing public awareness with regards to the high cost of diapers on vulnerable families,” Ferraro said. “This annual drive has successfully helped many needy families in providing the proper diaper care for their babies.”
The average child will use more than 2,700 diapers in the first year alone, which can add up to more than $550 (based on an average price of 20 cents per disposable diaper).
The goal of the annual diaper drive is to help Milford families by converting the United Way’s Diaper Closet into a much larger Diaper Bank, with a constant supply of diapers in all sizes.
While diapers are expensive for any family, they are particularly burdensome for low-income families. At present, safety-net programs such as the food stamps and WIC do not cover the cost of diapers.