CINCINNATI — Being able to afford diapers during the pandemic has been a challenge for mothers with small children. That’s why organizations across the state are working together to help those mothers in need.
Jack’s Closet is one of dozens of organizations in Cincinnati taking part in the World’s Largest Diaper Drive. It’s a statewide, week-long initiative looking to collect 2 million diapers.
Clothes shopping for 13 kids can be costly. For the past two years, Karissa Heidel, mother of 13, has been shopping at Jack’s Closet, a nonprofit that provides free clothing to children in foster and kinship care.
“Normally we would hold on to stuff like kid after kid, and it just got worn down and used, and we hated to use it, but we didn’t have a choice,” said Heidel. “Now we can kind of let them use it when they leave.”
Not only has buying clothes been a challenge, but buying diapers as well. On average, a box of diapers can cost $25 or more, which can become costly for someone like Heidel, who currently has six children in diapers.
“Two years ago, a lady at my church brought me a pamphlet for Jack’s that was talking about the diaper drive, and I had just taken placement of five kids all in diapers,” she said. “It just changed my life forever.”
Every month, Jack’s Closet provides close to 5,000 diapers to families in need. Co-director Sue Jacob said last year they collected more than 3,000 diapers, and this year, they’re hoping to double that amount.
“We’re just grateful that they have this bank that is available to us because we’re able to serve so many people in need,” said Jacob.
Once all the diapers are collected at Jack’s Closet, they will be donated to Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, who will then distribute them to organizations that need them. Through this drive, they’re hoping to help mothers like Heidel, who said it helps her family out in a major way.
“We can do things, especially in the summer with the kids,” said Heidel. “We can buy a family membership at the zoo. We’ve been able to do Kings Island days. All of this because we’re saving money on diapers. It’s amazing.”
