New Livingston Mom Starts Diaper Drive To Help Needy Families

LIVINGSTON, NJ — New parents struggling with poverty often have difficulty affording supplies like diapers, which obviously can't be purchased with food benefits. Town halls, charities, and churches sometimes give out diapers as part of their food pantries, parents can't always find one in their area.

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Sara Franks, who moved to Livingston over the summer, realized how expensive it was to have a child after giving birth to her son in February. So she decided to work with a homelessness organization in Newark on a diaper drive.

"After having my son, I had a new appreciation for all of the expenses associated with caring for a baby," she said this week. "I couldn't help but think of those who may feel financial pressures and knew I wanted to support those in need around the holidays."

She decided to work with the Apostles' House, a nonprofit organization committed to providing
comprehensive social services to homeless women with children and families at risk of homelessness in Newark and Essex County.

"I'm committed to making this time of year a little easier for as many families as possible," she said, noting that The Apostles' House has "an extreme need. Thousands of diapers have already been collected."

She shared these statistics:

• One in three families is affected by diaper need in the U.S.
• One third of households in need report feeling stressed or overwhelmed by diapering.
• 73 percent of respondents in a recent Huggies survey feel they are not being good parents when their children are left too long in a dirty diaper.
• According to Baby2Baby, a charity that provides diapers, requests for diaper donations have increased 500 percent during the pandemic and diaper costs rose 10 percent.

Donations can be made via the Amazon Wish List (here) through the end of the month. All shipments should be sent to the Sara Franks gift registry address.

Eric Kiefer contributed reporting to this story.

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