New pilot program supplying millions of diapers to families in need

Dozens of Cook County food pantries are getting an important delivery to help families in need.

A new pilot program will supply about six-million diapers over the next year to partners of the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

At the weekly food pantry at Mission of Our Lady of the Angels in West Humboldt Park, besides filling carts with food, families can also pick up diapers.

One mother of four told FOX 32 Chicago this will help her, "save a lot."

"We are so thrilled to work with Share Our Spare to be able to offer nearly 6 million diapers over the course of the next 12 months," said Jaqi Panizzo, the manager of food access at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 32 NEWS APP

Panizzo says their partnership with "Share Our Spare" will put diapers into 50 of their community partners with a focus on low income communities of color.

"We know when there's economic hardship, food isn't the only thing that families need," Panizzo said.

"Go to a playground and you're going see a lot of kids. One in three of those kids has an unmet diaper need. That doesn't mean they don't have any diapers. It means that they don't have a clean, dry diaper, the right quantity. It’s about 70 to 80 dollars a month per child in diapers so we’re trying to close the gap," Goodfellow said.

This Mission of Our Lady of the Angels pantry has had diapers sometimes, but never boxes piled high giving Sister Stephanie Baliga a constant supply.

"Now I'm like a 'I have diapers all the time' person, so everyone's really excited to come see me all the time, because it's not going to be like I don't have diapers. I have diapers today!" Baliga said.

It’s just another way to keep filling a need for help, that remains well above pre-pandemic levels.

If you need diapers or want to help donate, you can go to shareourspare.org.

Also, anyone seeking food assistance can find the nearest food pantry to where they live by using the Find Food map on the website: chicagosfoodbank.org.