Franciscan Health says their annual diaper drive has already reached unprecedented levels with enough donations to purchase up to half a million diapers, more than ten times the number from the previous year’s drive.
Franciscan Health Foundation Executive Director Rick Peltier credits Foundation Board Chair Joe Allegretti’s desire to make a bigger impact in the drive’s fifth year. Allegretti reached out to the Medical Executive Committee at Franciscan Health Dyer/Hammond/Munster to see if they could provide donations to help purchase far more than the 44,198 diapers collected in the 2020 drive.
The Medical Executive Committee responded with a $20,000 gift, which leverages Franciscan’s buying power to purchase disposable diapers for as little as 5 cents a diaper. Allegretti then reached out to Schepel Auto Group, which responded by subsidizing the purchase of baby wipes to distribute with the diapers.
With October designated Diaper Insecurity Month, the Franciscan Health Foundation is still seeking additional donations to help local families with a daily need.
The community can continue to contribute to these efforts through the month of October by donating to the Prenatal Assistance Program at Franciscan Health Foundation’s website or by calling the prenatal assistance number at (877) 773-6285. Monetary gifts are requested instead of actual diapers since Franciscan is able to purchase them at a lower rate than retail.