Governor Raimondo, Mayor Elorza Declare Diaper Need Awareness Week

PROVIDENCE, RI – Governor Gina Raimondo and Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza have issued proclamations recognizing National Diaper Need Awareness Week (September 28-October 4) at the State and City levels in support of Project Undercover. Diaper need, or the struggle to provide enough clean, dry diapers for all children, is a problem that afflicts one in three families, and 30% of mothers nationwide. Project Undercover, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is the only organization in Rhode Island working exclusively to reduce diaper need.

National Diaper Need Awareness Week is organized by the National Diaper Bank Network. This is Project Undercover’s second year participating, and the first time it has gained official recognition by local governments. Several businesses and community organizations will also be supporting the effort by organizing diaper drives, including the Hope Street Merchants Association, The Arcade in Downtown Providence, Festival Ballet, and the Providence Community Library. Project Undercover, along with the Governor’s and Mayor’s Offices and other participants, will employ social media to drive conversation around Diaper Need Awareness Week using the hash tags #DiaperNeed and #AProblemWeCanSolve.

“Diaper need is a major problem for so many families in our state, affecting not just the health of children, but the economic prospects for parents forced to miss work because they can’t send children to daycare without a proper supply of diapers,” said Project Undercover Founder/President Richard Fleischer. “We believe that in the smallest state, diaper need should be a problem we can solve and we’re so grateful that Governor Raimondo, Mayor Elorza and many others are willing to help.”

“My core belief is that every hardworking family deserves the chance to make it in Rhode Island and we need to do everything possible to make sure that happens,” said Raimondo. “As a mother, I understand that parents need to feel secure that their children will have basic necessities like clean diapers, socks, and underwear in order to focus on larger issues like job security. I am grateful for the work of Project Undercover and their partner agencies to fix this problem in Rhode Island.”

“National Diaper Need Awareness Week is a chance to educate people across the country about the reality of diaper need in our society,” said Mayor Elorza. “With one in three mothers at times finding themselves without enough diapers to keep their babies healthy and clean, this is a quality of life problem. I am proud that Providence will have diaper drives throughout the City to address this issue locally and hope that we as a community will do all we can to help.”

Project Undercover welcomes any individuals, community organizations, or businesses that are interested in participating by organizing a diaper drive. More information about National Diaper Need Awareness Week and Project Undercover’s work, and an updated list of diaper drives, are available at projectundercover.org.

About Project Undercover

Over 45,000 kids in Rhode Island don’t have access to clean, new underwear, socks, and diapers. Project Undercover provides these necessities to children living in poverty by engaging communities, increasing public awareness, and partnering with social service providers to distribute these items to families in need. Project Undercover’s goal is to meet the emergency needs of these 45,000 kids by supplying 1,000,000 diapers and 180,000 pairs of underwear and socks every year. Learn more at projectundercover.org.

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