And what do most of those children wear? Diapers.

The study also found that one in two of the families surveyed were forced to make tough decisions in regard to diaper purchases.

On average, a child uses between 2,000 and 2,200 diapers a year and like most items at the store, costs have increased.

“We began a diaper bank because we started seeing families struggling with the cost of providing adequate diapering to their children,” said Tara Fish, executive director of the Harnett County Partnership for Children. “When I dug deeper into the concept, I realized that there was not a single government assistance program that was helping these families.”

A diaper bank is a nonprofit organization formed for the sole purpose of providing diapers to people who do not have access to diapers. Across our area, many local non-profits are helping to meet the need of parents of young children.

“When I dug deeper into the concept, I realized that there was not a single government assistance program that was helping these families.”

“There are more than a dozen organizations that host a diaper bank, many are in concert with a food bank,” said Sharon Moyer, Community Engagement Administrator at Cumberland County Partnership for Children. “However, the Diaper Bank of NC provides two community-based distribution points. One is Catholic Charities and the other is the Armed Forces YMCA, housed on Ft. Liberty, we just didn’t have the room for distribution here.”

“We saw a huge need as parents were requesting support in this manner,” said Donna Jackson, executive director of the Sampson County Partnership for Children. “We work with low income parents and they are struggling to pay for infant needs. They would inquire about diapers for help. ”

The Sampson County Partnership for Children received an Operation Round Up grant to help stock their bank.

“The Operation Round Up grant had a huge impact in supporting our diaper bank,” said Jackson. ” The funds were helpful and did keep the program running. We order diapers online from Wal-Mart and distribute them on Monday and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.”

Using word-of-mouth and signage has helped both organizations to share the need and the location of their diaper banks. Meanwhile, the North Carolina Diaper Bank’s web site shares information on Cumberland County diaper banks.

“When we started with the Diaper Bank of NC, we saw a large amount of families stating they were making choices between buying diapers or paying a bill. In addition, more than 60% of active duty service members reported having difficulty paying for diapers,” said Moyer. “This made Cumberland County the ideal place for the Diaper Bank of NC to start their Truckload of Hope.”

All organizations are accepting donations.

“As we have grown and supported families throughout the last 5 years, we have seen the need increase from families all over the county,” said Fish.