Give a You-Know-What
Much of the DC Diaper Bank's success is due in part to its hard-working volunteers, like Rick Bacon. A private tutor and father of an almost four-year-old boy and 5-month-old baby girl, Bacon coordinates the warehouse. His responsibilities include getting an accurate count of the diapers and making sure they’re packaged correctly before they’re shipped out.
Bacon was raised to give back and has done so for many years, but lending his time to the DC Diaper Bank has been an eye-opening experience, especially now that he’s a father of two small children. “There’s really no one type of person who needs help,” he said. “Oftentimes when people have an image of who would need help with diapers, they may think of a single mother who’s in bad circumstances, but the way this country is set up, a lot of the structural issues that lead to poverty can affect anyone."
DC Diaper Bank executive director Corinne Cannon bundles diapers with a volunteer./Photo courtesy of DC Diaper Bank
From hosting a diaper drive in your local area to becoming an ambassador, there are several ways to become involved.
“The best part is that you see where the diapers are going,” Bacon said. “Meeting the parents who receive the diapers and seeing how thankful they are is always a great moment.”
Cannon admits the last thing she wanted to do is start a nonprofit having worked in the field for most of her life and knowing how difficult it is to successfully operate one. But, it’s a decision she doesn’t regret making after seeing how much of an impact the DC Diaper Bank has had on the community. She hopes her work will inspire others to start diaper banks in their communities as well.
Clean diapers make content babies/Photo from dcdiaperbank.org
“If we learned anything from the recession in 2008, it’s that anyone can become poor,” Cannon said. “I’m doing this because I want to live in a world that supports women, children and families because I have children, I am a woman and this could be me. It could be any of us.”
About the Author: Princess Gabbara is a Michigan-based journalist and freelance writer (Ebony, Essence, etc.). You can read more of her work on her blog. She also tweets @PrincessGabbara.