When the events took place in Baltimore last month we at DCDB watched the news with sad hearts and wondered, like I’m sure so many people around the country did, what we could do to help. About a week after things calmed down we started to get phone calls – moms asking if we served Baltimore, a pastor asking if we could help families in the neighborhoods most affected, a woman calling from Baltimore to see if we could help her start a diaper bank up there.
If I know anything, it’s that when you can help, you do.
Fast forward a few weeks, and this morning was a busy one at the Warehouse – we had the proudest little guy who just transitioned to big boy underpants drop off some diapers he no longer needed (we all cheered for him and presented him with a special DCDB pin!) AND we loaded up a truck with 48,000 diapers and pullups, 135 pounds of formula, and boxes and boxes of hygiene items for our friends at the Family League of Baltimore.
Through some contacts in the DC nonprofit world we connected with the Family League of Baltimore – an amazing nonprofit working with families throughout the city and acting as a hub for connecting social service programs across Baltimore. The B’more for Healthy Babies program, like many of our partner programs down here, includes a home visit component for moms and babies in need. Through our conversations with the staff at the Family League we learned that one of the neighborhoods they serve, Sandtown-Winchester, lost several pharmacies/drug stores and, because of that, hygiene items – like diapers and tampons, shampoo and soap – were difficult for families in that area to access.
This truck won’t solve the issue of diaper need for Baltimore, but it will go a long way now toward making sure families have the basics for their babies to thrive. And we’re connecting the Family League of Baltimore with the woman who called about starting a diaper bank up there – here’s hoping that the truck we sent up grows to something far bigger.
Love & Diapers,
cc
ccannon@dcdiaperbank.org