The Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry has begun an all-out community campaign to help struggling mothers and their children.
A first-ever “Community Baby Shower” effort that will be used “to collect diapers, feminine products, formula and other essential supplies and items for local mothers and their children” has begun and will continue through April 8.
Similar to a traditional food drive, community members have the opportunity during the campaign to partner with the pantry and host a supply drive or drop off supplies at the pantry and other select locations.
The campaign, which begin March 1, is already proving to be successful, with 14 businesses, churches and organizations in the Fox Valley already signed on to host diaper drives, pantry officials said in a press release Tuesday.
Another part of the effort is a “Virtual Baby Shower” that begins Friday which will allow donations to be made online or purchased via a gift registry.
In the release, the pantry’s Interim Executive Director Katie Arko underscored the importance of the supply drive.
“With an increase in families seeking food from the pantry every week, it seemed impossible to focus on anything else, even something as important as diapers,” Arko said in the release. “That’s when our volunteers, board members and staff came together to devise a plan to ensure that the pantry can offer diapers, wipes and feminine hygiene products to struggling mothers in the coming months.”
Becky Dunnigan-Meyer, community impact manager for the food pantry, said there is a growing need for baby supplies.
“At this time and over the past few months and I’m sure going forward, most days we have no diapers, no wipes, nothing to hand out to these moms,” she said. “It’s very rare that we have any of those things to hand out. Honestly, this is almost out of desperation. We don’t have anything for the families.”
The food pantry has plastic bins for such items behind one of its counters that officials say continue to remain empty.
She admitted there have been shortages before and speculated on why things have gotten even more desperate.
“I’m not sure what has changed but I know that for us we used to be able to order diapers and pay for them if we absolutely had to,” she said. “Prices have increased and we’re not able to do that. The stores, when we do our food rescue, we’re not getting as much as we once used to.
“We’d have people that would donate diapers too and I think they’ve lost a little sight of that,” she said. “They’ve moved towards the food because we’re struggling to keep those items on the shelves and they’re torn – do I donate food or baby products?”
Dunnigan-Meyer said recent publicity about the needs of immigrant families shows “the problem is very widespread.”
“The resources that each organization has are stretched to the limit as it is – it’s going even farther,” she said. “Everyone’s resources are so stretched. There is no one else to turn to.”
She said she hopes the new campaign will not only bring in donations of products but also change some minds.
“I’m hoping that this will then bring awareness and I think that is one of the biggest problems, that people think a food pantry isn’t going to need diapers, formula and wipes,” she said.
For more information on the drive, go to the pantry’s web page for the event at www.aurorafoodpantry.org/baby_shower.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
