Dressed as a cuddly baby, Good Baby Box program co-ordinator Bev Heuving and CDC Executive Director Ruth Ingersoll build a mountain of donated diapers with the help of Loyalist College placement student Shandee Baker (far left) and volunteer Robin Hadden (far right) at the diaper drive in Belleville Wednesday March 22, 2017. (Photo: Nicole Kleinsteuber / Quinte News)
A fundraiser for a program that is proving to be a lifesaver for families within Hastings and Prince Edward Counties has surpassed its goal bringing in 12,535 diapers.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Community Development of Quinte kicked off its first ever diaper drive in Belleville for the Good Baby Box program with the mission of bringing in 10,000 diapers.
In 2016, the program that is a cost-effective way to purchase baby food, formula, diapers and many other specialty care items for their children – provided 52,000 diapers to local families. Last year, 6,924 Good Baby Boxes were purchased for 1,179 children. The CDC estimates families are saving $1,200 annually by using the program. The CDC relies solely on grants and community donations with the diapers being purchased by the agency from a local distributor.
Good Baby Box co-ordinator Bev Heuving shared a touching story of a single dad who now uses the program weekly.
CDC board member Wendy Chesworth donates a box of diapers to the drive Wednesday. She says she donates because she was a young mom once and she’s ‘been there.’
(Photo: Nicole Kleinsteuber / Quinte News)
Heuving explained how expensive it is getting for parents and caregivers especially those working minimum wage jobs.
“If you’re a mom working a minimum wage job trying to have full-time employment, knowing you have to provide your little one with diapers at daycare it’s expensive,” she said.
“I have heard stories from moms who didn’t know the Good Baby Box program was available to them that were cleaning the diapers to best of their ability and then putting it back on their little one because they thought it was only available to a certain clientele, which it is not. We are available to everyone.”
You can find much more detail on the CDC’s programs by clicking here.
