Diaper Drive
ADAMS TWP - The smallest students in the Mars School District get to help needy families, and many parents will have a financial burden relieved with a program at the Mars Primary Center.
The school last week held a Stuff the Bus event in which the kindergarten and first grade students brought in disposable diapers that were delivered Thursday to the Lighthouse food bank.
A.J. Myers and Sons, the district's busing company, provided a full-size bus to the school for students to "stuff" it with the diapers collected.
Primary center Principal Elizabeth McMahon said she thought of the idea after a meeting of the Early Care and Education Council of Butler County, of which she is a member. She said the meeting revealed that paper products, especially diapers, are a major financial strain on families whose food comes from a food bank since they are not covered by any governmental funding program.
An average package of disposable diapers costs $5.50 for generic and $15 for name brand.
McMahon said the diaper drive was especially appropriate because it was the national Week of the Young Child. She said the diaper drive related to the national event because it allowed young children to learn philanthropy as well as provided infants and toddlers with a product critical to their health and comfort.
"It's all about we help one another," McMahon said. "Many of our kids are very privileged, but many members of our community need help. It's about giving without getting anything in return but the satisfaction of helping."
McMahon said all brands and sizes of diapers were accepted. She said community members also dropped off diapers at the school, which is at the intersection of Route 228 and Brickyard Road.
"It's the first time for the program here at the Primary Center," McMahon said, "so I hope it takes off so well that it encompasses the whole school district and the bus can drive to the other schools to pick up diapers."
Jaime Carter, a spokesperson for the Lighthouse Foundation, said of the 150 families who receive items from the food bank each week, more than half have infants and toddlers.
"Diapers are a huge expense, and they are not covered by welfare or food stamps," Carter said. "We know that it's something that can be a crippling cost. Families are trying to decide whether to pay the water bill or buy diapers for the next few weeks."
She said while the Lighthouse has been the benefactor of paper-product collections, the primary center's "Stuff the Bus" event was the first drive to collect diapers only.
"This is a really cool thing they're doing, because we never have enough diapers,' Carter said.
Primary center students loaded diapers on the bus in the morning and afternoon so all kindergartners could participate in the event.
For more information, call the primary center at 724-625-1588.
