NBC12 anchor Sarah Bloom (left) interviews Chesterfield employees Ashley Rogers and Leslie Pakula.
NBC12 anchor and TV personality Sarah Bloom is joining Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Families First and Infant & Toddler Connection of Chesterfield in its quest to collect baby diapers and wipes as its first-ever Diaper Drive Ambassador.
“I have three kids and I know how quickly the cost of diapers can add up. I know how quickly you can go through diapers,” Bloom said. “Parents have so much to juggle to help raise kind, capable kids. This is one immediately impactful way we can help families facing financial hardship. We can lighten what they are carrying with a simple gift, clean diapers.”
Families First and Infant & Toddler Connection of Chesterfield are two programs of Chesterfield’s Department of Mental Health Support Services.
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.
This year’s Diaper Drive looks to beat 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, neighborhood associations 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 at the MHSS Rogers Building.
“We hope you’ll consider helping support children in our area with a donation of diapers. That gift is so much bigger than clean diapers. You’re showing these children and families that you see their struggle, and that you want to help- that this world is full of kind people,” Bloom said. “I’m so honored and excited to join this mission to support area children and their families. These gifts will make a beautiful difference in our community. When we work together, we can do so much good.”
This blog post was written by J. Elias O'Neal, public information officer in Chesterfield's Department of Communications and Media
