Bundles of Joy

One of Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank’s longest-running programs is also one of its lesser known. Through a partnership with Forbes Hospital, Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank offers new parents a diaper bundle to support their transition home. 

The program started in 2018 When Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank Co-Founder Cathy Battle won the Jefferson Award for AHN and raised awareness of the diaper crisis to the employees and the president of Forbes Hospital to let them know of a pressing concern that was affecting one in three families. A skilled respiratory therapist with over 30 years of experience and 15 working in NICU before moving to Pittsburgh learned the struggle that some families experience and one of them was diaper need. After learning at the time that 1 in 3 families, now 1 in 2 families, could not afford to diaper their babies and keep them clean and dry Cathy realized that this is something she could help with.

Since the program’s inception, it has served over 1200 new parents with the essential item of diapers to ease the concerns of new parents and make their transition home easier. 

The Diaper Bank is also proud to support the first baby born each new year. Forbes Hospital and  Allegheny General Hospital Wexford had New Year babies that received at no cost diapers to the families for a full year. This program saves each family over $900 annually.