Second Harvest Food Bank hosted a free pop-up diaper distribution for families in need Tuesday at Watsonville Community Hospital.
According to the National Diaper Bank Network, nearly one in two U.S. households with young children endure “diaper insecurity,” Luisa Olivares of Second Harvest said.
So far this fiscal year, Second Harvest has distributed more than 52,000 diaper packs and served over 22,000 children across Santa Cruz County.
Second Harvest CEO Erica Padilla-Chávez, who was on hand with the distribution with staff and a crew of volunteers, said that over 300 families showed up for the free packages about 45 minutes into the giveaway.
“We’re here today because we recognize that there are a lot of families that are struggling to meet every day requirement to stay healthy,” Padilla-Chávez, said. “We are all paying more money for food, gas, rent and on and on. Today we have diapers for 600 children. This means a little bit of relief for at least two to three weeks for these families. We’`re able to do this thanks to the State of California that contributed to making Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County a Diaper Bank. We are requesting that the legislature give us another round of funding for next year.”Second Harvest is the county’s only food bank and California’s first, founded in 1972 as the second in the nation. For information, visit thefoodbank.org.
