Jake's Diapers' Cloth Diaper Donations to Date Providing the Same Diaper Coverage as Nearly Six Million Disposables
KAUKAUNA, WI / ACCESSWIRE / September 4, 2018 / Nearly a year after Jake's Diapers, Inc. joined a coordinated relief effort to bring cloth diapers to the infants and children of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the need remains as great as ever. Jake's Diapers is a not-for-profit diaper bank serving much of Wisconsin and the United States, including Puerto Rico, as well as other locations around the world. Jake's is responding to the need in Puerto Rico by continuing to collect, package and distribute diapers to the island's children.
"Our efforts in Puerto Rico have been non-stop," said Stephanie Bowers, co-founder of Jake's Diapers. "We want to use this year's Diaper Need Awareness Week, September 24-30, to draw attention to the problem and encourage people to continue their support to meet the need in Puerto Rico and other areas."
Since Hurricane Maria struck in September 2017, Jake's Diapers has provided cloth diaper packs to more than 1,000 people; totaling more than 12,239 diapers in all. "The cloth diapers provide the same diaper coverage as 6.2 million disposable diapers," said Bowers. "By providing cloth diapers instead of disposables in Puerto Rico, we have avoided more than 4 million pounds of garbage that would take over 300 years to break down." (Total number of disposables would have been 6,119.500)
As part of a renewed focus on Puerto Rico, starting September 7, 2018, there will be a dollar for dollar match, up to $1,000 per donor, through GlobalGiving, the largest global nonprofit crowdfunding platform. The Jake's Diapers match will continue until December 31, 2018 or until the matching funds run out. To make a donation, go to http://bit.ly/Jakes-Diapers-Global-Giving
"When disaster strikes, families may find themselves with only the clothes on their backs" said Bowers. "This was true after Hurricane Maria and, unfortunately, is still true today. People in Puerto Rico are just trying to survive. Unfortunately, federal disaster relief programs do not provide diapers, so that is why we've stepped up to help meet the need."
The cloth diapers were distributed through Jake's network of "diaper drops" in 78 Puerto Rican municipalities. Jake's works with non-governmental organizations in Puerto Rico who ensure the diapers get to the families who need them. Partner agencies include:
- ReHace (Rebuilding Communities with Hope), a community outreach program of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico
- Episcopal Church of Puerto Rico
- Crown Ministries
- A.M.A.R. (Alliance Medical Rescue)
- The Rebecca Foundation: Puerto Rico Chapter
- Lazos de Amor
- Malachi Ministries
- Children's shelter
- Women's domestic violence shelter
- Humacao Church
"We have found Puerto Rico is an amazing place, and it is the churches that operate the social service agencies to alleviate poverty and respond to Maria," she added. "FEMA also reached out to us for help with diapers, to connect us to long-term agencies as they pulled out of Puerto Rico. We are in Puerto Rico for the long haul."
Diaper Need Awareness Week, September 24-30, 2018, is sponsored annually by the National Diaper Bank Network. Jake's Diapers is a member of the network and coordinates with other diaper banks across the country to address chronic needs and emergency situations such as Hurricane Maria.
To learn more about Jake's Diapers and ways to support its mission, visit www.jakesdiapers.org.
Jake's Diapers, based in Kaukauna, Wis., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry solving diaper needs with diapers for babies, children, and adults in extreme poverty and disaster situations, whose caregivers have to choose between food & diapers. Since 2013, Jake's Diapers has impacted the lives of over 7,000 babies in 16 countries and Wisconsin through provisions of more than 75,000 cloth diapers. Jake's Diapers accepts financial donations as well as donations of new and pre-loved cloth diapers. Learn more at: www.jakesdiapers.org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Contact:
Stephanie Bowers
Executive Director
(920) 257-7890
SOURCE: Jake's Diapers