The Shorecrest Upper School Human Rights Club recently sponsored a Diaper Drive with the goal of collecting 1,000 diapers in one week for
Babycycle, a community diaper bank serving Pinellas County. Donations of diapers of various brands, sizes, and types (disposable, eco-friendly, overnights, pull-ups) were donated by staff, faculty, students and family members; and the drive ended up yielding an impressive 1,761 diapers.
Human Rights Club Faculty Sponsor Heather Elouej said of the drive’s success, “It warmed my heart to see so many Shorecrest community members participate in this effort. The many donations will be distributed to Pinellas County families in need of clean diapers for their little ones soon. I’m grateful for all the support this drive received.”
According to Babycycle, one in three parents in the US struggle to provide their children with the needed amount of clean diapers. This means that a staggering number of children are sitting in unclean diapers for extended periods of time, placing them at high risk for severe diaper rash and infections. Diapers are not covered by any government assistance programs, even though diapers are a necessity for every child, and according to the National Diaper Bank Network, without diapers, babies cannot participate in early childhood education programs. Without child care, parents cannot go to work. Children who participate in early childhood education are almost three times more likely to go on to higher education.
