Eloise Cooking Pot Food Program Manager Atienne Howard (middle) and Metropolitan Development Council staff prepare for the giveaway to begin.
Lot G at the Tacoma Dome was packed on Wednesday, May 15, for the weekly Eloise Cooking Pot Food Bank drive-through food giveaway. It’s like this every Wednesday morning but this week it was obvious that word had spread about items for babies being included and the turnout showed just how critical the need is in our area.
Nothing is required to get in line and your trunk filled with groceries and on this day, diapers, training pants and baby wipes were included for any parent or child’s caregiver who could use these expensive items.
“Diapers are a basic necessity that many families struggle to afford. Our goal is to alleviate some of that burden and provide support to our community members,” said Ahndrea Blue, President and CEO of Making a Difference Foundation.
The event was organized and sponsored by Making a Difference Foundation and its Eloise’s Cooking Pot Food Bank, Pierce County Human Services, Metropolitan Development Council, and Community Action of Pierce County. These organizations are dedicated to making a positive impact in the community and came together to ensure that families in need have access to these essential resources.
Investing just over $9,600 in the shipment from HDI Wholesale in Jackson, Wis., Pierce County Human Services brought 1,800 25-count size packages of diapers, 300 25-count size packages of training pants, and 1,080 80-count packages of baby wipes for this important giveaway for children newborn to age 4. More than 475 families were served at this event.
Metropolitan Development Council CEO Scott Schubert was there volunteering to help. “As I was directing traffic, something I heard from people was the need for diapers in our community,” he said. “It was incredible to be able to fill that need today.”
The diaper giveaway addressed two of the most fundamental necessities for families with little ones – food and diapers. Sometimes, deciding which to spend money on is a choice they must make.
“Women aren’t able to go to school or to go to work if they have a shortage of diapers. This is in addition to the health and safety of a child when you have families that will use a diaper longer than they really should, which creates diaper rash and other issues for the child,” said Carol Mensah, Community Action Programs Division Manager for Pierce County Human Services.
“Being able to get mothers into the workforce with childcare is important and so are diapers and most daycare centers don’t provide diapers. If you don’t have an adequate supply of diapers, it’s difficult to get your child into childcare.”
This is why the state of Washington is making a considerable investment in diaper banks, part of Gov. Inslee’s 10-year plan to end poverty. Diapers were identified as a very significant part of this plan. In 2022, the state legislature approved The End Diaper Need Act that created a diaper subsidy program to increase the state family assistance cash benefit by $100 per month for households with a child under the age of 3.
Pallets of food at the giveaway stand ready in anticipation of hundreds of vehicles coming through.
May is Community Action Month, established by the Community Action Partnership to strengthen the role of Community Action Agencies in assisting low-income families in achieving economic stability.
Community Action Agencies (CAA) are local private and public non-profit organizations that carry out the Community Action Program (CAP), which was founded by the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act to fight poverty by empowering the poor as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. This year is its 60th anniversary.
“We’ve trained our staff and we’re hoping to train all of Human Services and community partners on poverty 101 because we’re trying to bring awareness around the crisis of people living in poverty and the many barriers that they have to overcome,” Mensah said about Community Action Month. “The programs we have to offer not only provide the services but we’re doing some economic mobility where we’re coaching and hoping to get people employment if their unemployed or underemployed.”
Pierce County Community Action serves more than 6,800 families annually through vital programs including ChildReach, Energy Assistance, Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), and Weatherization and Minor Home Repair, ensuring access to essential resources for those in need.
On April 30, the Pierce County Council issued its proclamation for Community Action Awareness Month. The proclamation reads in part: “Since its inception in 1971, Pierce County’s Community Action Program has been a pillar of support, collaborating with local community organizations and members to assist our neighbors facing poverty. Pierce County’s Community Action is dedicated to cultivating positive change and enriching lives to create thriving communities.”
Mensah said for this Community Action Month, Pierce County Human Services budgeted about $10,000 for diapers.
“In thinking about how we would distribute them to the community, I reached out to Making a Difference Foundation/Eloise’s Cooking Pot and asked if they were interested in partnering with us. The Wednesday food distribution sounded like a great opportunity to get the diapers into the community.”
Later this summer, Pierce County Human Services will be giving away free air conditioners to folks who meet the low-income requirements Human Services have for its Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP).
“It has for many decades been focused on making sure families have adequate energy for heat but because of the way we’ve increasingly witnessed temperatures rising, it’s heating and cooling,” Mensah said. “For vulnerable adults, seniors and families with newborns and small children, that is a big issue.”
Last year, about 48 air conditioners were given away and this year, Human Services is hoping to distribute at least 300 through partnerships including the county’s Aging and Disability Resources and Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program sites throughout the county.
To learn more, visit piercecountywa.gov/97/Human-Services or call (253) 798-4400.
Diapers and the other baby items left over from the giveaway will be added to Eloise’s Cooking Pot’s baby program. Anyone caring for a baby can access the program five times a month. Eloise’s Cooking Pot holds its drive-through food giveaway every Wednesday at the Tacoma Dome, Lot G, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Learn more at facebook.com/EloisesCookingPotFoodBank and the Making a Difference Foundation website, themadf.org.