Marlboro Mom Will Host 'Huge' Diaper Drive On Sunday

MARLBORO, NJ — While at the store with her kids, Marlboro native Lauren Vena was faced with a heavy question.

"How do moms buy these items for their babies if they don't have the money to afford it?" her kids asked.

That conversation inspired Vena to started looking for ways to help. On Sunday, she is hosting a big diaper drive at the Marlboro Township Recreation. From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. people can drop off baby items such as diapers, wipes and feminine sanitary products.

Vena partnered up with New Jersey baby supply and diaper bank Mom‘s Helping Moms and over the past few months has been collecting these types of items from people in surrounding New Jersey towns and beyond.

"I am blown away by how generous people have been," she said. "I’ve reached out to so many moms through word of mouth, mom Facebook pages, and all over different social media platforms. I’ve had relatives in Chicago send me gift cards for donations to be given."

Vena said that she has also tried reaching out to multiple companies to see if they would be able to donate products and has found that they've been overwhelmed with similar requests. The pandemic made things especially harder for many families who were struggling even before, she said.

"These companies are so backed up on donation requests that many of them couldn’t even answer my calls," she said.

Vena plans to do a "massive drop-off" at Mom‘s Helping Moms after the drive that will include also all the donations collected from August and September.

"When I first got in touch with Moms Helping Moms, they expressed how high of a demand there is for diapers within the families that they help," Vena said. "Even more distressing for moms than not having enough food for their family."

According to her, diapers cost on average $18 a week (or $936 a year).

Having grown up in Marlboro, Vena moved back eight years ago to raise her family three minutes from where she grew up. The professional makeup artist has also published a children's book called "My Mom: the best mom ever!"

"I have always loved the idea of my kids growing up within the same loving community that I did," she said.