FAST Fund Diaper Drive
[Former FAST Fund Director and Former Local 212 President, Michael Rosen w/ Diaper Recipients; more pics below]
The FAST Fund, with a generous donation from the Milwaukee Diaper Mission, has been able to run two diapers drives, one at the end of the Fall semester and another last week. They gave away a total of 3,000 diapers to MATC parents and many expectant mothers.
Monay Williams, a current MATC student who received diapers in an earlier distribution, said, “Getting diapers meant the world to me and my baby. I am very appreciative that the FAST Fund makes sure I am getting the resources I need so I can concentrate on earning my diploma.”
“Approximately 1/3 of U.S. families with young children are unable to afford diapers. This is a public health issue recognized as ‘Diaper Need,’” said Megan Johnson, Executive Director of the Milwaukee Diaper Mission, a non-profit organization that believes that diapers are a necessity not a choice.
Diaper Need leads to a multitude of problems for both baby and caregiver, affecting not only physical health but also mental and economic health.
“Students who cannot afford diapers miss school because childcare providers require parents to supply a daily supply of diapers. Many MATC parent students face impossible choices between buying food, paying rent, or purchasing diapers. In Milwaukee, diaper need is a hidden consequence of poverty,” said Liz Franczyk, Executive Director FAST Fund.
