All babies deserve to be clean, dry, and healthy. Yet 1 in 3 U.S. families struggle to meet the basic diapering needs of their children. With no federal safety net programs (WIC, food stamps) covering the cost of diapers, this is a problem. Jake's Diapers exists to solve this problem in the Ozarks through an inspiring collaboration with the Diaper Bank of the Ozarks utilizing modern cloth diapers.
Diapers are a basic, yet often overlooked need. Struggling, low-income families in the Ozarks and beyond find themselves having to cut back on food, utilities, or childcare in order to provide diapers for their children. Disposable diapers can cost over $100/month for a healthy supply, and safety net programs such as WIC, Food Stamps, or Medicare do not cover diapers (cloth or disposable). The Diaper Bank of the Ozarks and Jake's Diapers are working together to impact positive, long-term change.
Just 24 cloth diapers can diaper a baby from infancy through potty-training,. Cloth diapers have come a long way in design (no more pins!), and modern cloth diapers resemble disposables in ease of use. Furthermore, 68% of people living at or below the poverty line live in a home with a washer and a dryer (U.S. Census). Cloth diapers are an option to solving diaper need.
By collaborating with local agencies who are working on breaking the cycle of poverty, the long term impact of solving the basic need of diapers has a positive socio-economic impact in our community, and sets a child up for long term success. Not only that, but for each child in cloth diapers, one less ton of garbage is contributed to our landfills (disposable diapers account for 15% of landfill waste).
