Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Families First
Infant & Toddler Connection of Chesterfield
March 1, 2023
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, VA --- Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Families First and Infant, and Toddler Connection of Chesterfield are seeking the community’s help in collecting new children’s diapers and baby wipes for its 10th annual Diaper Drive.
The Diaper Drive runs during the entire month of March.
“The rising costs of everyday items and utilities is presenting a challenge for several of the families that we serve,” said Ashley Rogers, Families First Program Coordinator. “We want to ensure that our families are not having to make tough decisions that may require them to make necessary needs go unmet because they cannot afford diapers.”
As part of the drive, residents and businesses are encouraged to purchase new, unopened packages of diapers – specifically diaper sizes 5, 6, and 7 – to assist hundreds of families across the county and Colonial Heights enrolled with Families First – a nationally accredited program of Healthy Families Virginia, which provides family support services to first-time parents to ensure their children are healthy, well-adjusted individuals ready to start school by age 5. The drive also assists Infant & Toddler Connection of Chesterfield, which provides early intervention support and services to infants and toddlers from birth through age 2 who are not developing as expected or have a medical condition that can delay normal development.
While Families First and Infant & Toddler Connection of Chesterfield, two programs of Chesterfield County’s Department of Mental Health Support Services, are accepting all size diapers newborn through 6, pullups and baby wipes this year.
Last year, young people, such as Emmett, Maya and Anna Wilkins, played a pivotal role in helping the agencies collect over 53,00 diapers and over 500 packages of wipes – a record.
This year’s Diaper Drive looks to best last year’s record by collecting more than 55,000 baby diapers for the organizations.
Individual residents can drop-off their donated baby diapers and wipes at:
- MHSS Rogers Building; 6801 Lucy Corr Blvd. Chesterfield, 23832
- Chesterfield Infant Program; 9711 Farrar Court, Suite 140 North Chesterfield, 23236
- Any Chesterfield County Public Library branch location
Interested organizations, groups or businesses should contact Ashley Rogers, Families First Program Coordinator at rogersa@chesterfield.gov; or Leslie Pakula, Infant Program Manager, at pakulal@chesterfield.gov to receive official Diaper Drive marketing material, and to arrange a time to drop-off their donations in-person.
With growing inflation, product shortages and continued demand, both agencies are calling on the Chesterfield and Colonial Heights community to help break last year’s record number of diapers collected.
Community partners, such as local businesses, neighborhood associations, churches, and fraternity and sorority groups, are highly encouraged to host individual diaper drives.
“This has been a challenging year for several of our families,” said Leslie Pakula, Infant Program Manager. “We’re going to be grateful for all who participate this year because the need is great.”