Diaper Assistance Program (DAP)

St. Peter’s Parish Church Diaper Assistance Program (DAP) was formed in January 2022 to take over the responsibilities of Matthew’s Haven diaper distribution which had been working in the community since 2017. Currently, DAP provides two packs of diapers and one pack of wipes every two weeks to families in need who live in New Kent and Charles City County. Families are referred by Thrive Virginia, Healthy Families, and the social services departments. Statistically, one in three families struggle to provide clean diapers for their babies and DAP strives to help fill this gap in our community.

If you would like to donate to this outreach, you may do so in REALM or make a check out to St. Peter’s with ‘Diaper Assistance Program’ in the memo line.

Some facts about the need for the DAP:

Even before the pandemic, 1 in 3 families struggled to afford diapers. Diapers cost an average of $75 per month.

> Lack of clean diapers leads to health risks like rashes and urinary tract infections for children as well as mental problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression for both parents and children.

> Public aid programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants and Children) do not cover the cost of diapers. Approximately 5 million infants and toddlers live in poverty.

> Low income families are less likely to have private laundry facilities meaning cloth diapering is not an option for them.