Local diaper banks helping families in Marion County

Families in need of diapers and baby wipes for their children now have a another resource to look to in Marion County.

The Salvation Army Marion, Ohio Corps., under the direction of Captains Jason and Kristin Price, has started a diaper bank to help local families.

The Dry Bottoms Diaper Bank has been open at the Salvation Army, 317 W. Church St. in downtown Marion, for two months, Capt. Kristin Price said. The Salvation Army received $12,600 in FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) funding to start the diaper bank, Capt. Jason Price said.

"Since we've had a change in our economy and things are getting to be very difficult for parents of infants, we decided that one of the things that we would ask for funding for this year was diapers," Kristin Price said. "There's a few other churches here in town that do small diaper banks, but we realize the need is great, especially with the formula shortage that we're seeing and people really struggling to make ends meet when they have infants."

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She said that the Dry Bottoms Diaper Bank is open every other Wednesday. The Salvation Army schedules appointments a week ahead of each distribution day. Each family is given diapers or pull-ups and baby wipes. The next distribution day is Wednesday, May 25.

"It's something that's very beneficial for people in our area," Kristin Price said. "We have almost 100 families scheduled for this week to come in, so that shows you that there is a great need for diapers in the community. We're seeing a huge increase in the number of phone calls each week. We're actually getting more phone calls than we can handle each week, so we have to put a cap on the number of families."

There are no specific qualifications that families have to meet in order to receive help, she noted.

"It's for anyone who is financially in need of help," Kristin Price said. "We understand that even working families may struggle to meet the needs of their infants, and infants are truly one of those populations that just can't take care of themselves."

Kristin Price said the Salvation Army has received donations from the Meijer department store in Marion, which also helps to fund the diaper bank. She said anyone who wishes to donate to the diaper bank is welcome to do so. She said they've been purchasing diapers and wipes from local grocery stores.

Families in need of diapers and wipes can contact the Salvation Army at 740-382-2156. The Salvation Army is located at 317 W. Church St. in downtown Marion. The office is open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Information is also available on The Salvation Army Marion, Ohio Corps Facebook page.

Love INC diaper bank

Love INC of Marion has been operating a diaper bank for many years, according to Executive Director Jenni Hypes. She said Love INC partners with First Presbyterian Church in Marion to provide the service.

Hypes said First Presbyterian, located at 143 S. Prospect St. in downtown Marion, houses the diaper bank for Love INC. It's open to local families once a month.

"They get diapers, wipes, and lotion," she said. "They can call Love INC to schedule those appointments. We do product drives through our member churches and it all supports the diaper ministry at First Presbyterian Church."

According to its website, Love INC has 27 partner churches and 16 participating churches in Marion County and surrounding communities.

Hypes said families who need information can contact the Love INC office at 740-382-3340. Information is also available on the organization's website www.loveincmarion.org. The Love INC office is located at 196 S. Main St., Suite 103, on the ground floor of the Main Street Professional Building in downtown Marion. Follow Love INC Marion on Facebook.

Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter 

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Local diaper banks helping families in Marion County