Here’s what You can do to help families impacted by the formula shortage

As the nationwide infant formula shortage continues to overwhelm many Alaskan families, it is hard not to feel stuck and mostly helpless. We’ve seen amazing efforts across the state showing the strength of Alaskan communities- neighbors lending a hand and picking up supplies when they visit town, milk-sharing efforts between mothers, and online forums for formula exchange. However, for most Alaskans, we’ve watched from the sidelines as families with babies continue to struggle, unsure how to help. Now, we’re happy to report that there is something you can do immediately to help alleviate the burden on these same families- help connect them with another basic necessity, diapers for their babies.

Running out of diapers can cause the same panic as running out of toilet paper, but with more shame and stigma. When parents face tight finances, sometimes they must make an impossibly difficult decision about basic needs. Lizzy, mom of three young children, shared her story, “I didn’t know how I was going to make it until the end of the month – I felt like I was going to have to choose between food and diapers for my babies”.

1 in 3 Alaska families like Lizzy’s face diaper need — a truly shocking statistic when you think about the impacts to our littlest and most vulnerable Alaskans. The consequences of going without diapers are severe- many childcare centers require parents to supply their own diapers, turning away children when a parent can’t provide them or provide payment for them. 3 in 5 parents facing diaper need miss work to look after a child who cannot attend daycare, leading to a vicious cycle of need. It’s hard to imagine, but sometimes parents are so desperate that they are forced to turn to unsanitary substitutions that lead to discomfort, rashes, or worse.

Fortunately for Lizzy’s family and others like it, diaper pantries throughout Alaska can help. Diaper pantries are places where parents can go to pick up weekly or biweekly bags of diapers for their babies. Marci Bowen, an employee at Alaska Adoption Services, a nonprofit that provides biweekly diaper pantry services, says “We have had some parents come in and say, ‘You are our main source of diapers, this is just enough to get us through because right now we just don’t have the finances to choose both diapers and food,’ You can tell how much of a relief it is for them.” Many of the pantries also provide cloth options for caregivers and include wipes and diaper cream to keep rashes down. So far, Alaska’s diaper pantries have provided over 125,000 diapers for Alaskan babies, a statistic that continues to climb as families find inflation wreaking havoc on affording necessities.

The need for diapers in Alaska is solvable. Six diaper pantries across Alaska have come together with Alaska Children’s Trust and the National Diaper Bank Network to create the Alaska Diaper Fund, a coalition and fundraiser focused on supporting nonprofits around the state as some of them continue their important work of providing for our littlest Alaskans via diaper pantries and others as they start and ramp up diaper pantries in their communities. The Alaska Diaper Fund is the first of its kind in Alaska, and it needs help from Alaskans like you to be successful and ensure infants and toddlers have what they need to thrive. Learn more about the Alaska Diaper Fund and how you can help here.

Emily Houk (Alaska Family Services), Trevor Storrs (Alaska Children’s Trust), Tami Watson (Alaska Adoption Services), and Greg Monrad (Community Pregnancy Center).