Diaper Drive to Combat Crisis: Pottawatomie County Collected Diapers and Wipes for Local Families in Need

October 2, 2024

Multiple locations across Pottawatomie County, including Oklahoma Baptist University, collected diapers and wipes last week as part of National Diaper Need Awareness Week. The drive supported the efforts of Legacy Parenting Center and aimed to alleviate diaper needs—a growing crisis that affects nearly half of U.S. families.

National Diaper Need Awareness Week, spearheaded by the National Diaper Bank Network, highlighted a staggering statistic: 47 percent of U.S. families struggle to keep their babies clean, dry, and healthy due to a lack of diapers. With no government programs dedicated to covering diaper costs, many families were left in a desperate situation.

OBU supported this cause by serving as a drop-off location for diaper and wipe donations throughout the week. The drive culminated in a special presentation during halftime of the OBU football game against East Central University on Saturday night. The game, held at Crain Family Stadium at the Hurt Complex in Shawnee, also featured a highlight of Legacy Parenting Center’s staff, recognizing their tireless work in the community.

Vision Bank, the game’s sponsor, partnered with OBU and Legacy Parenting for the event. Vision Bank representatives coordinated with Legacy to bring their own donations and help raise awareness for this important cause.

Donations were dropped off at OBU and other participating locations throughout the week, with all contributions going directly to Legacy Parenting Center for distribution. This collaborative effort between the university, local businesses, and the community underscored the importance of supporting families and ensuring every baby has access to the basic necessities they need to thrive.

Kyia Robison, Director of Operations for Legacy Parenting Center, said the goal each year is to raise awareness of the diaper need in Pottawatomie County. As of July, they had already served 841 babies and distributed 211,076 diapers and 1,428 cans of formula. Volunteers have committed 2,100 volunteer hours to this effort.

Robison shared that they set a goal of receiving 40,000 diapers by the end of the month for Diaper Need Awareness Week.

The drive efforts on Saturday night were a portion of that and great success was achieved as OBU, in conjunction with Vision Bank, received 1,412 diapers, 1,400 wipes and $120.

“We provide, on average, 35,000 diapers a month to our families,” she said. “With 70-plus organizations, I'm confident we can meet this goal!  It's been inspiring this year. So many organizations have stepped up like OBU with creativity and a willingness to get our community excited and engaged in meeting a serious need in our own neighborhoods.”

She said families shouldn't have to stress or worry about basic needs being met.

“We get to be a place that stands in the gap to provide education, resources and mentoring to every family that walks in our doors,” Robison said. “We are building stronger and healthier families and it's been so encouraging to see 70-plus places step up and stand in the gap to help us accomplish this. We are so thankful for OBU and their partnership."