BY NICOLE ASBURY
A local diaper drive collected about 1,300 donated diapers throughout the week that will be distributed at the Eudora food pantry.
The drive was done in partnership with the Eudora Community Library, United Way of Douglas County and AmeriCorps.
A majority of the donations came in Saturday when two organizers — Mary Kirkendoll, the Eudora community navigator, and Lauren Smith — helped collect diapers at the Eudora Community Library.
“We were sort of experimenting to see if people would drop it off during the week and if that would be a viable way to do a drive or if we need to do something like this, where people drop it off on a specific day where they know people will be there,” Kirkendoll said.
Throughout the week, donations were dropped off at a box stationed outside of the library. On Saturday, the first 24 people who dropped off their donation could pick up a cake doughnut from LuLu’s Bakery.
Kirkendoll said she helped organize the drive after a social worker from the Kansas City area reached out to ask what resources existed in Eudora to find diapers for a family. At the time, there were none, and there weren’t many resources in Lawrence either, Kirkendoll said.
“I told the social worker about the resources that existed in Lawrence, but still, it’s kind of a barrier for some people to get to Lawrence,” Kirkendoll said. “So I was like, OK, it’s time to do a diaper drive.”
The drive was tied to international women’s day, which was Monday, Smith said.
“One in three families are unable to keep their baby dry and clean with diapers, and that one really struck me -- 33% is a little too high,” Smith said. “I have two children of my own, one in diapers. I can’t imagine not having a healthy environment for them.”
Kirkendoll, who also recently helped organize a pet food drive in Eudora that collected several hundred pounds of food, said she is still determining what a next drive may focus on.
Reach reporter Nicole Asbury at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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