Exchange Center hosting monthly diaper drive

DIAPER DISTRIBUTION WHEN: 1-3 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month WHERE: Exchange Club Center for Family Unity (1820 Hartle Avenue) The next diaper distribution event is scheduled for Aug. 6. Families must bring birth certificates or footprint cards for each child in need of diapers. For more information, call Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota at 507-287-2047. 228e4f51-50cf-42d0-8e37-9ee7ed9ba7e6

At best, managing a household budget can be a tedious process.

In a time of rising cost of living and runaway inflation, it can be terrifying. Everyone has expenses that simply can’t be cut — food, housing and transportation, just to name a few. On top of all that, families with young children have to contend with buying diapers month after month.

To ease that pressure, Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota is distributing diapers to local families at monthly pop-up events, hosted by the Exchange Club Center for Family Unity.

Distribution events take place the first Tuesday of every month. The next pop-up is scheduled for Aug. 6.

Catholic Charities has distributed diapers on a smaller scale for a number of years, but received a grant from the Diaper Bank of Minnesota in April that vastly expanded their operation.

According to Sarah Vetter, Catholic Charities’ director of Child and Family Services, the Diaper Bank grant roughly doubled the amount of diapers they have available, encouraging them to find new ways to connect with families in need.

Vetter said diapers are an expense that families can’t put off until their next paycheck. Buying diapers can take a sizable chunk out of a tight budget, especially for families who have multiple children in diapers.

In addition to distributing diapers through their offices in Winona, Rochester and Mankato, Catholic Charities has established pop-up events in Owatonna and Worthington. The event in Owatonna has been running since May, serving 30 to 40 families a month.

Vetter said her organization still has capacity to serve more families. Should they ever need to replenish their supply, diaper drives have been a reliable way to meet families’ needs in the past.

“Whenever we’ve asked for diapers, we’ve had an incredible response from the community of people donating diapers. We try not to ask for more than what we need, but as the need grows and people find out about our services more, we share that request with the people that can help meet a need,” said Vetter.

The pop-up events offer a pack of diapers per child per month, and a pack of wipes per family. The Exchange Center has also partnered with Eagan-based nonprofit The Drawer to offer socks and underwear in a wide range of sizes, toddler through adult. First-time visitors are required to register at the event and provide a birth certificate or footprint card for each child receiving diapers.

While families must attend a pop-up event to register the first time, Executive Director Beth Hortop of the Exchange Center said returning families don’t have to wait for a distribution event should a need come up unexpectedly. They’re willing to work with families to provide diapers, socks and underwear as needed.

As part of its efforts to prevent child abuse, the Center seeks to reduce the amount of stress families face. Hortop said finances are a major factor in familial stress.

“There’s not enough affordable housing, gas prices are so high, groceries are so expensive. A lot of it comes back to finances,” she said.

By getting families the resources they need, she hopes to take as much stress out of the equation as possible.

Working with the Center has allowed Catholic Charities to stay involved in Owatonna without having a brick and mortar presence here.

“Since we didn’t have an office location, we needed a space that families knew and trusted, and would have the space for us to set up one afternoon a month. They’ve been awesome to work with,” said Vetter.

The two organizations have been referral partners for some time, seeing an overlap in the populations they serve, but this is the first time they’ve hosted events together.

Vetter stressed that Catholic Charities serves people of all faiths. Her program also offers one-time rent and utilities assistance for families with children under a year old, as well as car seats and cribs for families who can’t afford them. It is also licensed to provide pregnancy counseling and adoption services.