Each year, Mother’s Day serves as an opportunity to honor, love, and highlight the role and contributions of mothers and mother figures in the community. To support local mothers in need, Gentle Love Diaper Pantry, a Manchester-based youth-led nonprofit, is teaming up with Monaco Ford, a fourth-generation family-owned dealership, to host a “Blooming Love for Moms” diaper drive at both of their locations.Â
The drive will run from May 1 to May 13, 2023.Â
Donations from community members will be accepted at Monaco Ford of Glastonbury, CT, and Monaco Ford of Niantic, CT, during regular hours of operation in the showroom. All sizes of diapers are needed, especially sizes 4, 5, and 6, along with boys’ and girls’ pull-ups in sizes 2t-5t and baby wipes. Community members who wish to contribute but cannot complete a drop-off at the dealership can make a monetary donation.Â
Despite several low-income families still coping with pandemic-related losses, mothers specifically have faced significant stress trying to source essential items like diapers for their children.Â
Diaper insecurity is the lack of access to an appropriate supply of diapers because of socioeconomic restrictions. NielsonIQ, a data firm that monitors the costs of consumer goods, determined that the average price of diapers rose 22 percent from January 2018 to June 2022.Â
Additionally, federal social assistance programs like SNAP or WIC do not cover diapers, which cost $70-80 a month per child. As a result, some families are compelled to put other essential costs like food, rent, and utilities ahead of diapers, which puts their children’s health in danger.
