Author: kfcdev

WAUKEGAN – LAKE COUNTY JOURNAL – Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, diaper banks were in high demand. 

Today, diaper need has become a public health crisis say those involved with the National Diaper Network, which works with diaper banks throughout the country.

Providing diapers on the go to struggling families, volunteers with Waukegan-based Twice as Nice mother & Child have seen this crisis firsthand.

“Because of this pandemic, we’re seeing the number of families seeking support from programs like ours just go through the roof,” said Ann Marie Mathis, the nonprofit organization’s founder and executive director. “We’re just doing everything we can to fulfill our mission of making sure the families have what they need.”

Already supporting more than 1,000 families every month, Twice as Nice has worked to fulfill a demand that has doubled since the pandemic, and it’s not slowing down, Mathis said. Like many similar organizations throughout the nation, Twice as Nice has turned to mobile diaper pantries to get diapers to families in need. 

Relying on those mobile pantries to pick up supplies for her 18-month-old son, Marie of Gurnee said the organization has filled part of the financial gap left when her husband lost his job as a result of the pandemic.

“It’s been a tremendous help,” said Marie, who preferred not to use her full name. “What we would have used for diapers we’re using just to put food on the table.”

To help the many families in similar situations, Mathis has increased the number of mobile diaper pantry distributions, with her team of volunteers working harder than ever to keep up with demand. 

For a list of distribution dates and locations, including those in Waukegan, Highwood and Gurnee, visit www.twiceasnicemc.org. 

Half of Mathis’ 14-member team of volunteers had to temporarily bow out due to health risks during the pandemic. 

“If anyone is looking to volunteer, we always need help,” Mathis said. “We’ve been basically functioning with half of our normal team. Thankfully, the people who remain, myself included, have stepped up and are working more than they have.”

The organization also has faced challenges due to supply shortages, delayed shipments and canceled orders, Mathis said. 

“We’re all facing the same challenge right now, which is we can’t get what we were normally getting. People were having a hard time finding diapers on store shelves, let alone buying them,” she said.

It’s a similar situation at diaper banks throughout the nation, said Troy Moore, chief of external affairs for the National Diaper Bank Network.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 in 3 families struggled with diaper need, making it a public health issue, he said. 

“We honestly believe diaper need is now a public health crisis,” he said, pointing to rising unemployment rates.

“That’s increasing demand for food, for diapers, for the basic necessities people need just to survive,” he said. “We’re seeing that explosive growth across the country. I’d be hard-pressed to see any program not doing twice as much as they did before on a monthly basis.”

Programs previously relying on partnerships with other social service agencies are finding creative ways to distribute more diapers, Moore said. They’re partnering with food drives and organizing mobile diaper drives, similar to those hosted by Twice as Nice, he said.

Before COVID-19, the network recommended the distribution of 50 diapers a month per child to provide a supplemental need “at the end of the month when dollars are stretched,” he said. 

“That model has all been blown up,” he said, with families not being able to afford any diapers.

Diaper banks rely on donations to meet those demands, and Twice as Nice is no exception. Both diapers and financial donations are sought. For information on how to donate money, items or time, visit www.twiceasnicemc.org.

GURNEE – DAILY HERALD – In demand more than ever, nonprofit organizations throughout Lake County are doing their part to feed the needs of families.

They’ve adapted their distribution methods in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and many are partnering to tackle the crisis.

“Now that the whole state is shut down basically, it’s made the number of people who can’t afford groceries skyrocket,” said Elizabeth Gartman, communications manager for Northern Illinois Food Bank. “It’s just been overwhelming.”

To accommodate that need, Northern Illinois Food Bank now hosts drive-thru Pop-Up Markets to distribute food. The organization has helped more than 6,000 families since its first market in April. 

The sixth and most recent Pop-Up Market on May 9 in the parking lot of Six Flags Great America theme park in Gurnee drew more than 2,500 families. 

Roughly 200 volunteers wearing masks and gloves loaded fresh produce, dairy items, cereal and canned goods into the cars of anyone in need of food assistance. 

Those who attended were encouraged to reserve a pickup time through the food bank’s My Pantry Express website at www.mypantryexpress.org/sfgapopup, but no ID, proof of address or income was required to receive the food. 

Families in need also can call the organization’s SNAP hotline at 844-600-7627 to speak directly with a team member.

To donate, visit www.solvehungertoday.org/covidsupport.

The May 9 Pop-Up Market also helped feed the minds of children. Books were handed out to families through a Northern Illinois Food Bank partnership with Lake Bluff-based Bernie’s Book Bank.

All families received what Bernie’s Book Bank calls “Family Fun Packs” – bags of six books for children ages birth through sixth grade – as part of the organization’s new Change Their Story program.

Created as a result of children affected due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, Change Their Story at www.berniesbookbank.org/change-their-story asks for donations of $12 to provide 12 books for an underserved child. 

The organization reached out to the Northern Illinois Food Bank when the pandemic began, said Darrin Utynek, chief executive officer of Bernie’s Book Bank.

“We’ve got a literacy crisis when we’re in good times, but these times have only exacerbated the problem even more,” he said. 

With children in remote learning environments, many don’t have regular access to books as they typically do in school, he said. The goal is to help narrow any gaps in learning, he said, and put books into the hands of children.

“This allows them not only to continue their literary journey, but it also provides a bit of escape when you’re trapped in your home,” Utynek said. “That’s what makes us really proud of the work we’re doing because we know there’s a need.”

Unable to call upon the organization’s usual 600 volunteers a month, Bernie’s Book Bank now relies on a team of 42 employees working within social distancing requirements to produce books at the organization’s processing center.

Since launching Change Their Story on March 20, the organization has distributed more than 200,000 free books to local underserved children. 

“That’s just an incredible production rate,” Utynek said. 

After working with Northern Illinois Food Bank for the first time May 9, the organization hopes to pair up for future events as well. Bernie’s Book Bank also has collaborated with Chicago Public Schools, Woman Infants and Children, North Chicago Community Partners and nonprofits such as Reach Out & Read and others. 

“I think a lot of nonprofits are suffering through this because funding has become an issue,” Utynek said.

Hosting a mobile diaper pantry at locations throughout Lake County, Waukegan-based Twice as Nice has seen the demand for diapers double as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Ann Marie Mathis, the nonprofit organization’s founder and executive director.

Panic buying, hoarding, job loss and shelter-in-place orders have forced more families to turn to nonprofit diaper banks such as Twice as Nice, which is depleting available supplies, she said. Since March 18, Twice as Nice has received 541 new requests for help with diapers.

“We’re just doing everything we can to fulfill our mission of making sure the families have what they need,” Mathis said. “With other resources being shut down across the state, we’re just trying to keep our doors open.”

The organization also faces challenges due to supply shortages, delayed shipments and canceled orders, she said. And half of her 14-member team of volunteers has had to temporarily bow out due to health risks during the pandemic, she added.

Like Bernie’s Book Bank, the organization has collaborated with Northern Illinois Food Bank to get supplies to those in need. Mathis also has increased the number of mobile diaper pantry distributions. An upcoming distribution is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 20 in the parking lot of Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep school, 3106 Belvidere Road, Waukegan.

Families in need are required to register at least 24 hours before any distribution day at www.twiceasnicemc.org. Visit the website for more information on future mobile diaper pantry distributions and locations, as well as how to get help, volunteer and donate. Both diapers and financial donations are sought. 

“I know how hard it can be to raise a child, especially when you don’t have the necessities,” Mathis said. “For me, it’s really about making a difference.”

WAUKEGAN – DAILY HERALD – A Lake County nonprofit that distributes tens of thousands of diapers a month to families in need has seen skyrocketing demand and plummeting supplies in recent weeks.

Prior to nonessential business closings and shelter-in-place orders issued last month in response to the spread of COVID-19, Twice As Nice Mother & Child had reached a routine distribution number of about 70,000 diapers monthly, said Ann Marie Mathis, founder and executive director of the Waukegan-based organization.

With diapers and wipes among items that a coronavirus-wary nation has hoarded, Mathis now eyes her storage spaces warily. The three-month inventory she normally maintains is disappearing. And community diaper drives have been canceled.

“We remain open,” she said. “We are considered essential. But we have seen an unprecedented influx in the number of requests for help, with more than 120 new requests for help in the last two weeks alone.

“We buy 90 percent of the diapers we distribute,” Mathis said. “Due to hoarding and heightened demand, suppliers are delaying and, in some instances, canceling shipments. Wipes, for example, are just not available through my suppliers right now.”

Twice as Nice Mother & Child assists more than 1,000 children and 500 families each month, Mathis said.

“That was pre-COVID-19,” she said. “I’m expecting that number will double for at least the next three months.”

Mathis’ former core group of 14 volunteers is down to about six, including herself, as some older volunteers are avoiding leaving their homes.

Before last month, student and other adult groups regularly attended diaper-wrapping sessions to prepare bundles for distribution. But with social distancing rules in place, that’s now down to the singular six.

Each sits at his or her own table, with gloves, hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes at the ready, to do the work that used to be done by a dozen or more helpers at a time.

Mathis, who has seven children of her own, said she is determined to keep going. Diaper distributions remain available to partnering agencies via curbside pickup at TANMC’s Waukegan address.

And the organization’s mobile pantry program continues to serve families as scheduled. Dates and locations for all of the mobile pantries are listed at twiceasnicemc.org.

Registration to receive mobile pantry services is online only for the time being. Participating recipients are asked to remain in their cars and follow volunteers’ drive-through directions.

Mathis said safety net programs such as food stamps or WIC do not cover diapers, so need is always great. But with unemployment climbing and many store shelves bare, more people than ever are turning to Twice As Nice and other diaper banks.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting families who lack access to diapers and other basic necessities,” she said. “The panic buying, the hoarding, the job losses, community shutdowns and shelter-in-place orders are all forcing more people to turn to diaper banks like ours.

“All of these things also are depleting supplies,” she said. “We’re trying to do the best we can to meet the increased demand and help those in need during this crisis.”

Those in a position to help are encouraged to visit twiceasnicemc.org, where cash donations are accepted via PayPal. People also can shop TANMC’s wish list on Amazon and have items shipped to the organization’s Oak Grove Avenue address.

Cash donations are always greatly appreciated, Mathis said, as TANMC is able to purchase diapers at a discount through its National Diaper Bank Network membership.

WAUKEGAN — DAILY HERALD — A new sponsorship program is filling a pandemic-fueled fund-raising gap while offering benefactors the chance to connect with one of the area’s most visible humanitarian champions: Keeping Families Covered.

Called the Changing Table, the program offers sponsorships ranging from $500 to $5,000, with varying perks afforded to those who commit to an annual contribution at the Bronze ($500), Silver ($1,000), Gold ($2,500) or Diamond ($5,000) levels. Already, since the program’s implementation late last year, two diamond, four gold, four silver and four bronze sponsors have stepped up, said Ann Marie Mathis. The mother of seven is CEO and founder of the Waukegan-based nonprofit whose flagship program is providing diapers to families in need.

Changing Table sponsors to date include:

DIAMOND ($5,000) Atturo Tire Corp., Waukegan Wiilcom, Gurnee GOLD ($2,500) Busey Bank, Glenview Equity Creative, Kenosha, Wisconsin Mowery & Schoenfeld, Lincolnshire Consumers Cooperative Association (Consumers Credit Union), Gurnee SILVER ($1,000) Superior Remodeling & Maintenance, Wadsworth Grand Foundation, Sturtevant, Wisconsin Plan B Advertising, Chicago Joyce Campbell BRONZE ($500) Great Rooms Designers & Builders Inc., Libertyville Bob’s Discount Furniture, Manchester, Connecticut BNI Referrals Express, Gurnee Ace Hardware, Round Lake

“These sponsorships help us to keep our shelves stocked so we can provide families with the basics they need to thrive,” Mathis said. “In each of the last two years, our distributions exceeded 1 million diapers, and the need just continues to grow. In 2021, we distributed about 100,000 diapers a month, serving 1,200 families and 1,800 children each month.”

The National Diaper Bank Network, of which Keeping Families Covered is a member, estimates one in three U.S. families experiences diaper need. This can negatively affect babies’ health as well as further strain struggling parents, who face difficulty holding down jobs or regularly attending school if they cannot provide an adequate supply of diapers to day-care operators.

The Changing Table sponsorship program came to fruition after Keeping Families Covered had to pull off the calendar for the last two years its premier, in-person fundraising event, Bottoms Up for Babies. And though the event is back on the calendar for this fall, the Changing Table offers a way for those supporting the mission of Keeping Families Covered to maintain not only high recognition at that event, but also a year-round connection.

“It’s so important that we maintain community support, especially now,” Mathis said. “Even though we buy in bulk and at a discount, like everyone, we’ve been hit with product and freight price increases.” At the Diamond and Gold sponsorship levels, company logos are featured on the nonprofit’s 16-foot trailer or box truck. Logos of top-level sponsors are featured on both. The trailer and truck are highly visible as they travel hundreds of miles each month to Keeping Families Covered mobile diaper pantry sessions in Gurnee, Grayslake, Waukegan, Highwood, Round Lake Park and Kenosha, Wisconsin. All sponsors have their name and logo posted on www.keepingfamiliescovered.org and enjoy social media mentions. Additionally, all receive exposure on a lobby-based TV at the facility’s Waukegan offices and in Keeping Families Covered’s diaper wrapping room, where volunteers package diapers as well as period supplies for distribution.

A special VIP Wrappy Hour is available to sponsors at the Diamond and Gold levels. For complete sponsorship level details and a sponsorship packet, visit www.keepingfamiliescovered.org.