With inflation at a 40-year high and purchasing power plummeting, many local residents may find it difficult to afford basic necessities. For families with children, circumstances can be even more challenging.
According to the National Diaper Bank Network, one in three families have difficulty affording diapers and two in five families stretch the use of diapers by reusing them or keeping a child in the same diaper longer. Because there are no federal support programs that cover diaper expenses – which can reach $100 per month per child – community support is vital.
To help out, members of the 2022 Leadership Lafayette class are launching the Oxford Diaper Bank to provide free diapers to families under financial pressure. Partnering with the North Mississippi Exchange Family Center and the Bare Needs Diaper Bank, the group’s goal is to raise $4,000, which will provide 100 pallets of diapers.
The diapers will be procured by the Bare Needs Diaper Bank to serve the Oxford-Lafayette County community. A donation drive to collect new and unused diapers will be held July 14-29, 2022. Monetary contributions will also be accepted and should be in the form of checks made out to Oxford Lafayette Chamber of Commerce.
Drop-off locations are:
- Chamber of Commerce, 299 Jackson Avenue West
- FNB Bank, All Locations
- Visit Oxford, 1013 Jackson Avenue East
- First Regional Library, 401 Bramlett Boulevard
- Oxford Pediatric Group, 101 Farm View Drive
Following the drive, a diaper giveaway will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 30 at the Oxford Armory Pavilion. The North MS Exchange Family Center, which will serve as the host and affiliate for the Oxford Diaper Bank, will collect any remaining inventory for future distribution.
In addition, Oxford Pediatric Group and Oxford’s First Regional Library will have permanent drop-off locations for community members to donate new or unused diapers. For more information, visit Facebook.com/OxfordDiaperBank.
The initiative is modeled after a similar organization in Athens, Georgia, which Leadership Lafayette member Elise Grenley volunteered for while living in that area several years ago.
“When my daughter was an infant, I became acutely aware of how expensive diapers were and the financial burdens faced by many families in the community,” Grenley said. “Those needs also exist here and our Leadership Lafayette group is excited to launch the Oxford Diaper Bank to help families in need. With the help of the LOU community, the Bare Needs Diaper Bank and the North Mississippi Exchange Family Center, we are working to make a difference.”
About Leadership Lafayette
Leadership Lafayette is a program presented by the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce and is in its 34th year. The goal of Leadership Lafayette is to develop and maintain a network of invested citizens committed to improving the quality of life in the LOU community. The program consists of monthly training sessions and activities designed to introduce participants to a wide variety of assets and programs within the LOU community and to establish participants as active and engaged community leaders.
About Bare Needs Diaper Bank
The Bare Needs Diaper Bank distributes diapers, period supplies, and adult incontinence products through a network of Partner Agencies and is a proud member of the National Diaper Bank Network and the Alliance for Period Supplies. The Diaper Bank provides diapers and period products across the Mid-South.
About North MS Exchange Family Center
The North MS Exchange Family Center’s mission is to improve the quality of life for at-risk families by breaking the cycle of child abuse and neglect through prevention, intervention and educational services. The Exchange Club Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse of North Mississippi, Incorporated, is chartered under the laws of the State of Mississippi and is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization.
