LYNN — A newly formed community group and the Lynn YMCA have teamed up to help parents secure diapers for their children.
Much like toilet paper and hand sanitizer, there’s been a high demand for diapers during the coronavirus outbreak, according to Andrea Baez, branch executive director for the Lynn YMCA.
In instances where a product shortage isn’t the problem, some parents are still struggling to come up with the funds to purchase the diapers because the prolonged shutdown of much of the economy has cost many their jobs, Baez said.
“Diapers are a hot commodity to come by right now,” said Baez. “I just think that people who work in cash paying jobs that no longer have cash paying income, they need all the support they can get. Nobody could have prepared for these circumstances.”
The diaper drive at the Lynn YMCA, which serves as a drop-off point for the donations, was prompted when Ward 6 Councilor Fred Hogan started noticing posts on a newly formed community Facebook group’s page, “Lynn Ma Mutual Aid Disaster Relief” from families who were in need of diapers.
When Hogan decided to start the drive, he contacted Baez and YMCA staff, who were “more than happy” to get involved. He’s been working the collection portion of the effort, by reaching out to people for donations and making the deliveries to the Y if donors can’t make the trip themselves.
“They’re calling me the diaper guy,” said Hogan. “One thing we found out is there is more of a need. We’re falling behind. Every time we collect them, there’s more people who need them. I know for a fact, money is hard to come by. There’s people who have lost their jobs and were week to week.”
It doesn’t help that diapers are expensive, which he said he found out the hard way last week when he bought two cases and the total came out to a whopping $50.
Baez echoed those sentiments, saying that the diapers are gone almost as fast as they come in. The YMCA keeps a list of the names and numbers of people who need diapers. Although a large donation was made on Monday, there’s still about eight people waiting.
Baez said she’s “heartbroken” that there’s such a need for diapers, food and security during the COVID-19 outbreak. She said it’s been “eye-opening” and reflects a systematic issue that needs to be addressed.
However, Baez said the community’s response to help others throughout the coronavirus crisis has been “extremely endearing” to witness. For instance, part of that large donation on Monday was from the Lynn Public Library.
“We are all just trying to collectively do whatever we can for the community,” said Baez. “I think tough times are just showing tough people. As traumatizing as this is for people, I think there is a lot of good coming out of it in terms of helping people who need additional help and the Y is happy to be a part of that.”
People can drop off diapers at the Lynn YMCA, which is located at 20 Neptune Blvd., from 2-5 p.m. Monday to Friday.
