How to Find Affordable Diapers and Close the #DiaperGap in L.A. County

The Washington Post tells the story of one South L.A. mom and her struggle to find affordable diapers:

The Walmart within walking distance of Nuri Mora’s home in South Central Los Angeles, where a 74-count box of diapers sold for $28, closed in January. So now she boards a bus. It runs only every half-hour, and catching it means trailing a toddler, a stroller and an 8-year-old. It also means adding bus fare to the cost of the diapers — which are more expensive at other stores anyway.

Cheap diapers are hard to come by for the families that have the least to spend on them. Mora, 27, scans coupons and travels for bargains. She tells her children “no” at the grocery store, when she has to choose between the kiwis they want and the diapers 2-year-old Nathan needs. Then, sometimes, when she finds a good deal, it comes in the wrong sizes.

“Sometimes you have to decide between ‘Okay, this box has 120 diapers, and this is the size that he doesn’t use. But if I get the size that he’s using, it’s just 70 diapers, and I have 50 diapers more. So what should I do?’ ” she says, knowing that a too-small size might chafe her son’s skin. “You just have to make things happen.”

One in three families in the U.S. struggles to maintain a sufficient supply of diapers to keep their baby clean, dry, and healthy. And low-income families often have to pay more for diapers than those in the middle class. As a percentage of income, it’s especially lopsided. A recent White House blog post sums up the problem: “Low-income families spend an average of $936 per child on diapers every year — double what some higher-income families pay. That can add up to 14 percent of their income, even before covering other essentials like rent, food, heat, and water.”

And diapers are not covered by federal assistance programs such as WIC, SNAP, or Medicaid.

Some are calling for policy changes in Congress, but a baby with a dirty diaper can’t wait. So we’ve compiled a list of organizations and services that can help right now. (Did we miss one? Share it in a comment at the bottom.)

Assistance With Diapers for Low-Income Families

Here are some Southern California resources that offer free or subsidized diapers to low-income families. We found many of these through 211LA.org, One Degree, and NationalDiaperBankNetwork.org, all of which allow you to search by ZIP code. Some local food pantries and churches also sometimes have diapers available to those in need. For those interested in cloth diapers, check out 10 Ways to Build a Modern Cloth Diaper Stash–on the Cheap, which recommends the service Giving Diapers, Giving Hope (GivingDiapersGivingHope.org). Trying to decide between cloth and disposable? Here’s a comprehensive guide on how and what to choose.

• Anne Douglas Center of the Los Angeles Mission
  losangelesmission.org
  213-614-0743 or 213-629-1227
  310 Winston St., Los Angeles CA, 90013
• Baby2Baby
  baby2baby.org; info@baby2baby.org
  323-933-2229
  6435 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90048
  (Note: Baby2Baby distributes diapers through organizations, not directly to families.)
• Catholic Charities of Los Angeles – Our Lady of the Angeles Region – Metro Area – St. Mary’s Center
  catholiccharitiesla.org
  213-251-3591
  4665 Willowbrook Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90029
• Catholic Charities of Los Angeles – San Pedro Region – Long Beach Community Services Center
  catholiccharitiesla.org/sanpedro.html
  213-251-3432
  123 E. 14^th St., Long Beach, CA, 90813
• Fred Jordan Mission
  fjm.org
  626-915-1981
  445 Towne Ave., Los Angeles, CA , 90013
• Good + Foundation LA
  goodplusfoundation.org
  310-439-5464; info@goodplusfoundation.org
  4505 W. Jefferson Blvd., Suite 105, Los Angeles, CA, 90016
• Grace Resource Inc.
  graceresources.org (see infant-toddler assistance here)
  661-940-5272
  45134 N. Sierra Hwy., Lancaster, CA, 93534
• Helping Kids to Recover, Inc.
  helpingkidstorecover.org
  310-217-0616; adelgadohkr@yahoo.com
  637 East Albertoni St., Suite 200, Carson, CA
• Home Aid Essentials
  homeaidessentials.org; info@homeaidoc.org
  949-553-9510
• HPP Community Food Center
  hppcfc.org
  562-424-4477
  3939 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach CA, 90807
• Love Inc. – Northeast San Gabriel Valley
  626-858-3300
  P.O. Box 3505, Covina, CA, 91722
• Salvation Army Corps Community Center – Inglewood
  salvationarmy-socal.org
  310-677-3375
  324 E. Queen St., Inglewood, CA, 90301
• Salvation Army Corps Community Center – Santa Monica
  salvationarmy-socal.org
  310-451-1358
  1533 4^th St., Santa Monica, CA, 90401
• Salvation Army Corps Community Center – Whittier
  salvationarmy-socal.org
  562-698-8348
  7926 S. Pickering Ave., Whittier, CA, 90602
• St. Joseph Center
  stjosephctr.org
  310-396-6468
  204 Hampton Dr., Venice, CA, 90291
• St. Margaret’s Center/Catholic Charities of Los Angeles
  catholiccharitiesla.org; info@CatholicCharitiesLa.org
  213-251-3400
  1531 James M. Wood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90015
• YWCA Harbor Area and South Bay
  ywcaharbor.org
  310-547-0831
  437 W. 9^th St., San Pedro, CA, 90731
• 1736 Family Crisis Center
  1736familycrisiscenter.org
  323-737-3900, ext. 244
  2116 Arlington Avenue, Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90018
  and
  Tom Bradley Youth & Family Center, Satellite FamilySource Office
  323-904-3832, ext. 211
  5213 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019