5 million diapers donated to Orange County parents-in-need by Garden Grove nonprofit

About 5 million free diapers were distributed to families since March 2020, according to the Community Action Partnership of Orange County, which orchestrated the giveaway.

The Garden Grove nonprofit distributed diapers to more than 500 families at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim in partnership with MOMS Orange County, another nonprofit serving the region that is dedicated to newborn and pregnancy health.

“At Community Action Partnership of Orange County, our mission is all about seeking to end and prevent poverty by stabilizing, sustaining and empowering people with the resources they need when they need them,” Gregory Scott, president and chief executive officer for the organization, said in an email.

“Unlike food, diapers are an essential need that can be easy to forget about until it becomes an essential for you and your family,” Scott said. “Diapers have always been an expensive necessity that can be difficult for families struggling financially to afford.

“But now with the added impact of COVID-19 and related unemployment, the strain that families are feeling is even greater and they are forced to make difficult decisions, sometimes between food and necessities like diapers,” he added.

Families who had pre-registered for the diaper giveaway, arrived for 30-minute-long appointments to ensure safe distancing and were assisted by about 50 Disney “voluntEARS,” who helped distribute diapers that were provided through state funding and local diaper donations.

The Community Action Partnership plans to continue such distributions, but said its state funding expires in June and it is actively seeking donations.

“At Friday’s drive-through diaper distribution event in partnership with MOMS Orange County, we were able to provide diapers to hundreds of families, including one relieved mother whose baby was wearing her very last diaper,” said Scott.

For more information on where to access the diaper bank throughout Orange County, visit capoc.org/diaperbank.

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