If you ask most young parents how they spend the first year as a mom or a dad, they’ll likely tell you “changing diapers.” Assuming that you change a baby 7-10 times per day (or 5-7 times per day as they get a little older), you’ll change between 1825 and 3650 diapers per year, or an average of 2,738 diapers a year. That’s a lot of diapers.
Diapers are a significant expense for new parents – and unlike doctor’s visits and vaccine, they’re not deductible. Depending on the brand and size, most parents will spend close to $600 on diapers in the first year alone.
That’s where Baby Basics of Collier County comes in. It’s a volunteer organization that provides and distributes diapers and kindness to infants and toddlers of low income working families in the Colliers community. Families are referred from local social service agencies and are screened for qualification. To participate in the program, families must meet certain criteria which includes at least one working parent or guardian, demonstrated financial need and the family may not be receiving federal or state cash assistance.
Twice a month, those families who meet the criteria come to the closest distribution site to pick up a free, two-week supply of diapers; a two-weeks supply of free diapers allows families to spend their limited resources on medicine or other necessities. Babies thrive because they are dry and comfortable. Volunteers greet the families, help them select the proper size and provide information about the next distribution and other opportunities for supportive services.
The founder of Baby Basics (which is now nationwide), Jean Ann Lynch, started the organization in 2004. The idea for the organization came to her because the “thought of babies having to be in diapers too long and crying from diaper rash was unthinkable to me.” She believes that every baby deserved a clean diaper since babies in soiled diapers are at risk for painful diaper rash and other related health issues.
How can something this simple make a difference? Lynch tells this story:
Eric’s mom, Judy, told us that she was nursing her son and the salary check she received from being a secretary was lost in the mail. They waited for days which turned into a week and they had no food. Judy lost her milk and they barely had enough money to buy formula. Eric stayed in diapers longer than he should. Judy said, “If I would have had a program like Baby Basics, I would have had someone to turn to for help.”
How can you help? If you live nearby, volunteer to help out or sponsor a Diaper Drive. No matter where you are, you can make a donation. A donation to Baby Basics goes directly toward the purchase of diapers unless earmarked for administration.
If you don’t live near Collier County and you want to be involved, you can search for an affiliate organization. There are now 14 Baby Basic sites around the country:
- Apex, NC
- Bellevue, WA
- Cincinnati, OH
- Collier County, FL
- Hagerstown, MD
- Menlo Park, CA
- NE Arkansas
- New York, NY
- Ridgewood, NJ
- Sarasota, FL
- South Boston, MA
- Troy, MI
- Wilmington, VT
- Winter Park, FL
A search at irs.gov (which I highly recommend any time you are considering making a donation to a charity) reveals that Baby Basics of Collier County is on the IRS list of charitable organizations. To find out more about the work of the organization, check out their website.
As we go along this month, I encourage you to check out the charities that made our list this year:
Remember that these are just suggestions and, in most cases, I can’t personally vouch for the good work that these folks do. So be generous. But be smart.
For more on making charitable donations, check out some of these prior posts:
- Nine Tips For Tax-Smart Charitable Giving
- 12 Tips for Year End Charitable Giving
- Ask the taxgirl: Charitable Contributions and Receipts
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