The Ecumenical Diaper Bank is beginning its third year of distributing diapers to low income families. This year, from Mother’s Day (May 14) through Father’s Day (June 18), Mid-coast area churches will hold diaper drives. They hope to raise enough funds (and diapers) with this annual drive to continue to supplement family supplies of diapers for the coming year.

While the Diaper Bank cannot supply all of each child's weekly diaper needs, its mission is to enable families to change their infants and toddlers as frequently as needed to avoid health and early socialization issues. As of January 2017, the Diaper Bank has served 68 families with 78 children, giving an average of 12 packets of diapers (meaning helping 12 infants and toddlers) per week. If the current need for low income families remains steady, the Ecumenical Diaper Bank expects it will distribute close to 10,000 diapers in the year ahead.

Diaper need puts children and families at risk. According to the National Diaper Bank, 65 percent of Maine mothers with infants are in the workforce. Not having enough diapers to change infants as often as they need increases the risk of diaper rash, infections, neglect and worse. Families who don’t have enough diapers can’t enroll their children in many daycare centers, making it hard for them to seek work or go to school. And low-income assistance programs like Food Stamps don’t pay for diapers. That’s a lot of stress.

To obtain diapers for a child, families with infants to 3 years old who qualify for Maine-Care or Medicaid can stop by on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11 a.m. The Food Pantry is located in the Fellowship Hall of the Second Congregational Church, 51 Main Street, in Newcastle. For More Info, Contact: Cathy Hopkins (563-1668) or Sue Rockwood (350-2256).

The following local churches support this third annual Diaper Drive and welcome the greater community’s help: Damariscotta Baptist Church, Midcoast Friends Meeting, New Harbor and Round Pond United Methodist Churches, Second Congregational Church, St. Andrews Episcopal Church, St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, and Water of Life Lutheran Church. Bags of diapers, cash donations, and checks made out to “Damariscotta Baptist Church” with “Diaper Drive” on the Memo line can be brought to any of the participating churches. Checks made out to “Damariscotta Baptist Church” with “Diaper Drive” may also be mailed to the Diaper Drive Project, c/o Midcoast Friends Meeting,, P.O. Box 714, Damariscotta, ME 04543.