BUFFALO, N.Y. — We've heard a lot about the increased demand on food banks in the last year, but unless you have a little one at home that wears them, you may not have thought about the need for another necessity: diapers.
Newborns need up to ten diapers a day, and in normal times, that adds up to be a major expense on families.
That's why Raziya Hill founded Every Bottom Covered back in 2016. Today, it provides 400 qualifying families with fifty diapers, plus wipes, a month. Hill says about 200 of those families are new since last year.
"With the loss of jobs and income, we see a lot more families who've probably never had to navigate low-income services having to do so," the Executive Director told 2 On Your Side. "So we've seen a definite increase in families, and case managers and nurses, who are reaching out on behalf of families that they serve."
"It's so important to keep that skin clean and dry to prevent infections, to prevent yeast infections because we know the skin is an important barrier for health," Dr. Lorna Fitzpatrick, SafetyNet and Univera Healthcare's V.P. of Medical Affairs said. "So we have to make sure that parents have the resources they need to keep their baby's bottoms dry."
As need skyrockets, support from the Western New York community is helping Every Bottom Covered's mission move forward. Back in December, Bills Mafia donated to the National Diaper Bank in response to ESPN Analyst Bomani Jones criticism of the team, because it's a cause that's close to his heart. That resulted in a $5,000 grant from the National Bank.
The organization also recently received a 10 thousand dollar grant from Univera Healthcare.
"We get diapers that are open donations, the fit kids grow out of diapers, we receive those. We receive a lot of community support," Hill said. "Definitely pre-Covid, a lot of diaper drives, and it just really to me, is a testament of how wonderful a community Western New York is."
"Even after Covid, there will still always be families in need," said Univera's Community Affairs Director, Olivia Linke. "So we're hoping this is going to be a longstanding partnership."
For more information on Every Bottom Covered, visit their website.