The cost of diapers is becoming expensive for parents, particularly for families under the low-income bracket. Since diaper cost is the same regardless how much a parent makes, those with lower incomes tend to spend a bigger part of their earnings on buying diapers. The White House has planned to address this diaper gap by spearheading a new program for parents with babies.
Diaper Cost And The Great Diaper Divide
In early May, the White House director of Domestic Policy Council, Cecilia Munoz, published a commentary on the big diaper disparity among parents earning at different income levels via White House. She stated that while there are diapers sold in bulk at lower costs, the reality is that one in three families still struggle with affordable diaper availability for their babies.
Munoz also cited that among lowest-income earners, the average cost a family spends for diapers eats up 14 percent of their income at $936 per child per year. This is due to the fact that they also don't have the credit card or capital to buy in bulk, nor do they have the access to technology to buy diapers online, where the options are cheaper. There is also no assistance program for diaper purchases.
Diaper Cost And The Community Diaper Program
Thus, the White House has established a Community Diaper Program with Jet, an e-commerce company, and Cuties, a diaper brand. The aim is to coordinate with diaper manufacturers, donors and business leaders in making sure that poor families are afforded the diapers they need through funding and donations.
Wow! Amazing results so far from the @Jet Community Diaper Program! pic.twitter.com/XUWsAqtjZ8
— WestSideBaby (@WestSideBabySEA) May 12, 2016
Nonprofit organizations can apply to the program so that they can continually buy diapers in bulk and on the cheap, which can then be distributed to poor families. Individuals, on the other hand, can also order diaper care packages that can be shipped out to those in need, or they can make a donation to fund the cause. The full details of the program are outlined on Jet.
President Barack Obama confirmed that there are already "740 nonprofit locations" participating in the Community Diaper Program across the United States. Apart from Jet and Cuties, more American businesses have answered to the program's call. "[This is] an example of how the government can collaborate with the private sector to address common challenges together," Obama wrote on Medium. The Community Diaper Program was first launched in March.
What do you think about this initiative? Would you participate in it and encourage others too? Share your thoughts in the comments!
