MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — WVRC Media has teamed with a local business to help support West Virginia toddlers and mothers.
The first annual WVRC Media Diaper Drive will take place on Friday, May 9, starting at 7 a.m. at the Greer Building in Sabraton. Members of the company, along with representatives from Saving Grace Septic and Rentals, will be on hand until 6 p.m., where fresh diapers, regardless of whether they are packaged or not, will be accepted along with cash donations.
“It’s similar to a food drive where people donate canned goods and non-perishables, and we take those to the food banks around town, and they’re distributed to families in need, the same thing will happen to these diapers,” said WVRC Media Promotions Director Rachelle Beatty, who helped organize the event.
According to Beatty, diapers for babies and toddlers will be accepted in the 1st Annual Diaper Drive, regardless of size. Anyone who wishes to donate will simply need to drive down to the Greer Building parking lot located a short drive from the Morgantown office of the West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and follow the line set up for the donation truck. The lines are projected to take no more than 5-10 minutes to go through.
“It’s just a drive-thru, so you’ll pull into one end of the parking lot, pull up to us, we’ll unload your diapers, and you can pull out the other end—super easy,” said Beatty.
All donations will be given to the West Virginia Diaperplus Initiative, which aims to offer what is often considered a basic necessity to those who might not be able to afford it. According to Beatty, the average cost for a box of diapers has reached over $50 per box, which, depending on the amount of children a single family has, could mean the difference between making a payment on a certain bill or not. With the only limitations for donations being that the diapers haven’t been used and they’re not adult diapers, Beatty encourages anyone who may have leftovers to not let them go to waste.
“You’re looking at $40-$50 a box sometimes for diapers, so that’s a need that families have,” said Beatty. “That’s a cable bill, that’s a water bill.”
The WVRC Media 1st Annual Diaper Drive will take place rain or shine on Friday and will require no registration in order to donate. Any financial proceeds are recommended to be in cash, but alternative payments (i.e., gift cards, donations to the Diaperplus Initiative) will be accepted pending conversations with site volunteers. With a chance to donate taking place for the majority of Friday, Morgantown area residents who have diapers they no longer need are urged to drive down to Sabraton and contribute towards a good cause.
“If you have a baby at home and they’ve outgrown one size and you’ve got some left over, you can bring those in,” said Beatty. “We’ll take boxes, we’ll take loose ones, we’ll take any type of diaper you have, with the exception of adults, no adult diapers.”