Local nonprofit LEAP: Learn. Engage. Advocate. Partner, which works to empower families across Santa Barbara County, is getting a new sponsorship from the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women (CFW).
The support will bolster LEAP’s free Diaper Bank, ensuring essential supplies reach infants and toddlers in need, helping to alleviate the financial strain on families throughout the community.
The sponsorship coincides with the kickoff of Diaper Need Awareness Week, observed from Sept. 23-29, spotlighting the need for diaper assistance in communities across the nation.
“The Commission for Women is deeply committed to the well-being of women and children in our community,” said Geordie Scully, First District commissioner for the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women.
“We have chosen to support LEAP’s Diaper Bank to bring awareness about LEAP’s effort to provide the basic necessities babies need for a healthy start,” Scully said. “We also hope this encourages donations to the only diaper bank in our county.”
LEAP operates the only diaper bank in Santa Barbara County, distributing more than 5,000 diapers each month to babies in need — a number that continues to grow as more families seek assistance.
“We are immensely grateful to the Commission for Women for their generous support,” said Lori Goodman, executive director of LEAP. “Their investment in the health and well-being of our community’s youngest members is invaluable.”
According to the National Diaper Bank Network’s 2023 Diaper Check survey, one in two families in the United States struggles to afford enough diapers to keep their babies clean, dry and healthy.
LEAP is addressing this need by providing diapers and wipes at no cost to families in Santa Barbara County. Since opening the Diaper Bank in 2021, LEAP has distributed nearly 200,000 diapers, helping to alleviate the financial burden on countless families.
The Diaper Bank sponsorship was announced during an event at the LEAP Children’s Center in Goleta, which featured remarks from Scully, a briefing by Goodman, and a testimonial from Vivian Solodkin of Hearts Aligned.
Attendees, including members of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and Women’s Commission, also participated in packing hundreds of diapers for local families.
Formerly known as Isla Vista Youth Projects, LEAP has been helping local families for 50-plus years. In addition to offering child care, LEAP provides services through its Family Resource Center, including bilingual parenting classes, monthly food distributions, and an emergency food pantry.
“I’m a legal guardian of three beautiful granddaughters. Without the support of the diaper bank it would have made it very difficult with the cost of diapers and wipes,” said LEAP client Maria Arroyo.
“Raising children has many challenges, knowing I could count on the support from the diaper bank defused the financial stress,” Arroyo said.
“All babies deserve to be happy and healthy,” said Angie Swanson-Kyriaco, co-chair for the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women. “I am thrilled that the Commission for Women is providing support for LEAP’s Diaper Bank to ensure our littlest community members, throughout Santa Barbara County, are clean and dry, so they can thrive.”
In honor of Diaper Need Awareness Week, readers can get involved in the following ways:
· Make a gift: Donations help provide essential supplies to families in need. To donate, visit https://leapcentralcoast.org/diaper-bank/.
· Donate Diapers and Wipes: You can drop off packages of diapers and wipes Sept. 23-29 at partner organizations hosting diaper drives:
Old Town Coffee, 5877 Hollister Ave., Goleta.
Trinity Church of the Nazarene, 500 E. North Ave., Lompoc.
Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, 1535 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara.
The CFW was established in 1973. Its mission is to promote equity and well-being for women and girls throughout Santa Barbara County by addressing issues that disproportionately impact women and girls such as economic disparities, access to healthcare, access to childcare, domestic and sexual violence, and racism.
For more, visit www.countyofsb.org/1837/Commission-for-Women.
LEAP: Learn. Engage. Advocate. Partner mitigates the effects of poverty, racism and trauma by providing quality, trauma-informed child care, comprehensive, culturally sensitive family support, and visionary community leadership.