Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank
Summer Newsletter
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WPDB Partners With Global Links, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and the Pittsburgh Penguins for Diaper Distribution |
On June 25, 2020, the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank partnered with Global Links, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and the Pittsburgh Penguins to host a Drive-Up Diaper Distribution outside PPG Paints Arena. The event was a huge success and we were able to serve over 700 cars and distributed 100,000 diapers to families and caregivers of young children in 3 hours! Families were able to get one case of diapers of the same size or two packs of two different sizes.
This distribution was aimed at helping families of small children who have been experiencing financial hardship during the coronavirus pandemic. Diapers are not approved items for SNAP or EBT benefits.
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WPDB Tours Westmoreland County |
When their weekly fellowship dinner was brought to a halt, Greensburg based non-profit, Feeding the Spirit, responded by providing a take and make meal distribution at St. Clair Park, Greensburg. During the last week of April, Executive Director Cathy Battle was asked to join to provide diapers to those in need. Following the event, there was a surplus of diapers and the decision was made to keep them in Westmoreland County. What started as an attempt to empty the inventory, quickly grew to a movement now known as #PopUpWestmoreland.
While many agencies and businesses shut their doors to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 we answered the call by meeting people where they were – in the parking lots of churches, restaurants, Fire Departments, schools, libraries and the sidewalks of Main St., PA. During the months of May and June, the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank traveled to over 10 communities in Westmoreland County, distributing diapers to families – no eligibility requirements or strings attached. Joining forces with our lone Westmoreland County distributing agency, Westmoreland Community Action, we were also able to provide bags, education, and resource materials for families. Tim Phillips, Director of Drug Overdose Task Force, and organizer of the WPDB’s yearly Westmoreland Courthouse Diaper Drive, also joined us to provide Narcan and outreach. Together, we distributed over 13,000 diapers to over 200 families in two months and plan to continue as long as the need is there.
Upcoming dates and locations for #PopUpWestmoreland, are posted to our social media accounts so make sure you follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Wrap Westmoreland
As awareness of the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank mission grew in Westmoreland, we received an outpouring of requests to volunteer and the age-old question, “what can I do?” Faced with restrictions on gatherings and work spaces due to COVID-19 we needed to get creative and adapt. On June 19, 2020, over 20 volunteers gathered at Kaufmann Pavilion at Lynch Field, Greensburg for Wrap Westmoreland, a community volunteer event to package diapers for distribution. Volunteers enjoyed music, light refreshments, fellowship, and successfully wrapped over 2,000 diapers in less than two hours for distribution in Westmoreland County.
The event was such a success, Wrap Westmoreland-Round Two is tentatively scheduled for the end of September during National Diaper Need Awareness week. More information will follow shortly but if you are interested in getting involved please reach out to westmoreland@wpadiaperbank.org.
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A New Way to Volunteer!
Ongoing Opportunities with the WPDB During COVID-19
The WPDB team has been hard at work making sure those in need are able to get diapers, wipes and other items during this difficult time. This means that we still have a need for volunteers during this time to help us package diapers.
Volunteers are allowed in very small groups to allow for social distancing and we are following all recommended safety precautions including wearing masks.
If you're interested in getting out of the house and helping those in your community, please email us at info@wpadiaperbank.org to get more information and schedule a time.
If you do not have the time to come out and volunteer at our warehouse or prefer to wait until for health and safety reasons, we are always looking for people who are willing to host a diaper drive. You can even do this virtually by sharing our Amazon Wishlist with your friends and family.
You can visit our Diaper Drive page for information about hosting a traditional diaper drive.
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Diaper Drop-offs
Many of our year-round diaper drop-off locations were closed for a while due to COVID-19 but we are happy to say that many of them have opened and are again accepting donations. If you ever want to make a diaper donation but don’t know of a local diaper drive happening and don’t have the opportunity to host one yourself, check out our Diaper Drop-Off Locations page to see which locations have listed drop-off hours. If no hours are listed, we recommend calling them to see if they are currently accepting any donations.
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Period Products
Did you know that the WPDB also collects and distributes period products?
One in 4 women struggles to afford period products due to a lack of income.
If you'd like to help, period products can be dropped off at any of our year-round drop-off locations mentioned above.
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We are so incredibly blessed to have so much community support for the work we do. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed all of our lives and has brought hardship for many families. But, with your generosity, we have been able to keep helping families and babies in need during this difficult and uncertain time.
The pandemic has created an even greater need for items like diapers and wipes and we have done our best to provide these to as many families as possible.
In 2019, we distributed a total of 500,000 diapers to families in our community. So far this year, we have distributed more than 540,000 diapers!!!
It is your donations which are allowing us to continue to help even more families. There have been many of you who have created Facebook fundraisers for us, and many others have donated to our Go-Fund-Me which has raised over $14,000 so far.
Thank you to each and every one of you who have supported us during this time and in turn have supported the families and babies in need in our communities. By working together, we will make it through.
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National Diaper Need Awareness Week
National Diaper Need Awareness Week will be held during the week of September 21 – September 27, 2020 and draws attention to the issue of diaper need in the U.S. The week provides individuals, organizations, communities, and elected officials the opportunity to engage in talk and simple actions to help raise the awareness of diaper need. The WPDB often holds different events during this week including our big fall fundraiser, Diamonds & Diapers. Stay tuned for more information.
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Giving Tuesday
GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past seven years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. You can make a difference by giving your time and volunteering, giving a donation, or giving your voice by spreading the word about your favorite charity. This year’s Giving Tuesday will be held on December 1, 2020 so mark your calendars now and think about ways you can give this year.
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Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank | 412.373.3074 | 201 N. Braddock Ave., Ste. 124, Pittsburgh, PA | www.wpadiaperbank.org
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