By Northwest Community Action Partnership
Gordon — The NCAP Diaper Bank Network provides free diapers, pull ups and wipes to low income families in Chadron, Crawford, Gordon and Alliance. Our program serves more than 300 infants and toddlers on a monthly basis. 1 in 3 American families struggle to afford diapers and have to make challenging choices in order to overcome this need. Some families report cutting back on other essentials such as food or utilities in order to afford diapers or pull ups.
There are currently no government assistance programs for diapers or pull ups. You cannot purchase these items with food stamps or WIC, so without the assistance of local diaper banks these families would have nowhere to turn. The NCAP Diaper Bank was started in Chadron a little over 4 years ago and has since expanded to Crawford, Gordon and Alliance. This program works closely with some of NCAP’s other programs such as Head Start, Early Head Start and Community Services. In addition, our Diaper Bank program partners with Western Community Health Resources and their WIC program. It is through these collaborative partnerships that we are able to assist families in need.
Throughout the month of March the Gordon Head Start Parent group took the lead on a Pull Ups drive to assist with restocking our supply of Pull Ups to benefit the families we serve in Sheridan County. We would love to thank the following local businesses and Schools for participating in this event – Harvest Coffee, Security 1st Bank (Merriman), Gordon Super Foods, Dollar General and the Gordon and Rushville Public Schools. Together these groups raised over 1,500 Diapers and Pull Ups for families in need.
Special shout out to the Gordon Elementary schools 3rd and 1st grade classes for their exceptional participation in this event. The 3rd grade class came in first place in the school wide competition for raising diapers/pull ups and the 1st grade class came in 2nd. There is nothing we love more than seeing the younger generations learning to give back to their communities.
If you or someone you know are in need of assistance through our Diaper Bank program there are a variety of ways to enroll. If you are enrolled in WIC, speak with your WIC representative and they will assist you with the Diaper Bank enrollment process. If you are enrolled in Head Start or Early Head Start, speak with your Home Visitor or Family Engagement Specialist to get signed up. If none of those apply to you, please call 308-327- 2870 or 308-747-2180 to set up an appointment with our Gordon/Rushville Emergency Services Offices.