MIAMI – Nearly half of all babies in the United States lack sufficient diapers, but a South Florida organization is working to solve this issue for local families.
“It’s great, it’s tremendous help, believe me. You have no idea,” said Elizabeth Tirador.
Many mothers in South Florida express deep gratitude to the Miami Diaper Bank for providing essential items for their babies.
“We’ve all been affected in some way. The increase in prices is impacting us all, and this significantly helps me manage expenses with a baby,” said Tirador.
Once a month, the Miami Diaper Bank partners with 52 organizations across South Florida to distribute diapers, pull-ups, baby wipes, rash cream, humidifiers, and more to at-risk families for free.
These items would cost over $100 if purchased at a retail store.
Gabiela Rojas, Executive Director of the Miami Diaper Bank, stated the organization serves 100 new babies each month, averaging 30,000 to 35,000 babies annually.
Rojas told Local 10’s Nicole Perez that she started with the organization as a volunteer when her son was six months old.
“I was a recipient of government assistance programs like food stamps and WIC, and I often had to ask my family for money to buy diapers,” said Rojas.
Rojas mentioned her favorite part of the job is seeing the smiles on the babies’ faces.
Walgreens partnered with Local 10 News to donate over $1,000 worth of diapers to the organization.
“We want people to know that Walgreens is here for them. We will do our best to support them in the community and individually,” said Danny Tse, Walgreens District Manager.
The Miami Diaper Bank collects donations year-round. Their warehouse in Hialeah can store up to a million diapers. Currently, they have 600,000 diapers available for families in need.
Last year, the Miami Diaper Bank provided 1.9 million diapers to families. This year, their goal is to distribute two million or more.
