While diapers are a necessity, they are not always affordable. Local charity Happy Bottoms found that 20% of Kansas City families they surveyed took out a payday loan in order to purchase diapers.

     More and more families face the challenges of job layoffs, lack of child care and threats of eviction while suffering from diaper insecurity. While families in need may qualify Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)  and Women, Infants and Children (WIC), diaper expenses are not covered by those federal programs. 

     Happy Bottoms is a non-profit organization that has been in the Kansas City area since 2009 and provides packages of 50 diapers or 30 training pants to agencies, hospitals and families all around the metro area, and they are always in need. To help the cause, National Honor Society junior Sophia Miles is holding a diaper drive. 

     “You always hear about food insecurity and how people need food and stuff, but you never think about diapers,” Miles said. “You have a kid, and you have a pack of twenty diapers, and that gets you through what, three days? Well that’s three days, and you can’t afford more until the next week, and they have to stay in the used ones.”

    She said she has been a volunteer with the Happy Bottoms since 2016 and has chosen to stay involved so long because the organization never stops needing assistance.  

     “Imagine you go to the bathroom, and you have to sit on the toilet, and you can’t leave,” Miles said. “That’s what it’s like for children with diaper insecurities, that’s what got me. There is always a need, it’s not a do this one time and you’re done, it’s all fixed. There will always still be people who need diapers and can’t afford them for themselves.”    

     Miles and NHS are hosting a contest for Advisory classes from Jan. 10 through Feb. 4, and the goal is to collect 1,000 diapers. They are accepting diapers, pull-ups/training pants and wipes for children. 

     “The most used sizes are 4, 5, and 6, but we accept all sizes of child diapers,” Miles said. “Diaper packages can be new or partial packages that are open in a bag or box. The wipes should be new and unopened.”

     Collection bins are placed in all Advisory classes, and the advisory class that collects the most diapers by Feb. 4 will receive a cookie party sponsored by Joelle’s Baked With Love.