Saco diaper bank helps area families

SACO — In the United States, one in three families with children who use diapers have difficulty affording the number of diapers their family needs, according to studies done by the National Diaper Bank.

In April 2021, members of First Parish Congregational Church decided to create a diaper bank to help the need on a local level.

The volunteer run effort distributes free diapers from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays at First Parish Church, 12 Beach St., Saco. The diapers are supplied through donations from members of the congregation and greater community as well as local businesses.

The bank serves 24 to 40 families each week, distributing, on average, 1400 to 2000 diapers every Wednesday, said volunteer Pam Mohlin. From May 12 to Dec. 29, 2021, the bank distributed 32,240 diapers, and from Jan. 5 2022 to Dec. 28, 2022, it distributed 84,239 diapers, she said.

Volunteers at the diaper bank have cultivated a caring community and there have been incidents where mothers have brought in clothing their babies have outgrown or formula they aren’t using to donate to other parents, said Mohlin.

“The moms know the bank is a safe place to find a caring ear and parenting encouragement,” she said.

On average, it costs about $80 to $100 a month to buy a sufficient supply of diapers for a baby to keep them dry and clean, according to the National Diaper Network. Using an adequate amount of diapers decreases incidents of diaper rash by 33 percent and babies with adequate diapers who get rashes have less severe outbreaks, experiencing 77 percent fewer days of rash than babies without an adequate diaper supply, according to the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis.

Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at [email protected].