On September 21 – 27 we’ll observe National Diaper Need Awareness Week, an effort initiated by the National Diaper Bank Network to shed light on the cause and offer assistance to families suffering from diaper need. It’s estimated that 1 in 3 families in the U.S. struggle to afford the diapers they need for their babies and toddlers – and that was before all the economic troubles ushered in by COVID-19.

Now more than ever families facing economic hardship may need to prioritize things like paying for rent, utilities and food over purchasing diapers. Diapers are expensive and cannot be bought with government assistance programs such as WIC and SNAP (formerly called “food stamps”). Yet experts recognize diapers as a basic need. According to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, diapers “are the first line of defense against infection and disease — and are even linked to preventing depression and violence.”

During National Diaper Need Awareness Week there are simple actions you can take to raise awareness and provide aid to families in need. Here are 4 ways you can help:

1) Run a diaper drive COVID-19 has made collection drives a bit more complicated but still possible. Or, you can run a virtual diaper drive using YouGiveGoods free giving platform. YouGiveGoods online drives are free to run and offer diapers, wipes, and ointments. Plus, online drives are easy to share via email and social media. Tap into your social networks and make a real difference in the lives of area families. Make an even bigger impact when you enlist your company, school or group to sponsor your diaper drive!

2) Donate diapers Pick up a box during your next grocery trip and bring it to a local diaper bank. If there’s not one near you check with you local food pantry or area nonprofits to see if they accept diapers. Or donate to a diaper drive on YouGiveGoods. There are many running including drives supporting diaper banks in New Jersey, Washington, Florida and Oregon.

3) Donate cash A cash donation to your local diaper bank or to the National Diaper Bank Network goes a long way to helping these organization meet their end goal of ending diaper need in the United States.

4) Spread awareness The issue of diaper need is not one that is in the forefront of the news. Social media has made it so easy to educate and raise awareness. A great tool to use is the National Diaper Bank’s State Diaper Statistics. Share the diaper need statistics of your state to help educate your online community about the need that exists right in their own backyards. Be sure to use the tags #EndDiaperNeed and #BasicsArentBasic.

Healthy, happy babies is a cause we can all get behind (pun intended). Let’s take just a few minutes of our time during Diaper Need Awareness Week to do our part to support the diaper banks providing solutions to families struggling today with diaper need.