NEW YORK (WKBW) — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a proposal Wednesday that would provide free diapers to families in need throughout the state.
Cuomo's proposal is to establish the New York State Cares + Baby2Baby Diaper Bank as part of the 2021 Women's Agenda. Baby2Baby is a national nonprofit that provides basic essentials for children under 18.
Officials say through the partnership with Baby2Baby, 20 million donated diapers will be made available to New York's Emergency Feeding Programs to be distributed at no cost through food banks across the state.
COVID-19 has piled challenge after challenge onto hardworking New York families, including the ability to afford the products they need to care for their children. Even before the pandemic, an astonishing one in three families struggled to cover the cost of diapers, and the pandemic has only exacerbated this issue. As we begin laying the groundwork to rebuild in a post-COVID world we must find ways to level the playing field and reduce the burdens this virus has placed on families in every corner of the state. This program will help give parents the peace of mind they deserve during this tumultuous time, and we thank Baby2Baby for their partnership in helping make this important program possible.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on all New Yorkers, and parents dealing with a sudden lack of child care and the stress of keeping their children safe are no exception. No parent should ever have to worry about affording basic products they need to keep their children healthy, and we're proud to partner with Baby2Baby on the launch of the Diaper Bank to provide these struggling parents with free diapers that can be accessed at food banks in their own communities.
Officials say although benefit programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) are in place to help families, they do not cover diapers because they are not considered food.
