MURRAY, Utah — The legislature is being asked to spend $1.5 million to help Utah families keep their children in clean diapers.
Rep. Rosalba Dominguez, D-Murray, is sponsoring legislation and has a funding request to help the Utah Diaper Bank, a nonprofit volunteer group based in her community that distributes thousands of diapers each year to people who need them.
"Each month we distribute out of this location 175,000 diapers to government agencies, nonprofits throughout Salt Lake and Utah," said Victor Velivus, who founded the Utah Diaper Bank in his garage when he saw a need for it in his community.
There has been a big need lately, said Andrea Muniz, who hands out care kits with diapers through Community Health Centers.
"For example, I had a young man whose wife had twins in November. And this young man, boy, they’re struggling," she said, describing how the mother was unable to work and it was difficult for them to afford diapers.
Muniz said she is seeing more and more people seeking out the basic necessity for their children as they struggle to pay bills.
"There is a higher demand for people coming through the doors asking for diapers," she said.
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Government assistance programs do not cover diapers, Velivus told FOX 13 News.
"Most people don’t realize there is no government safety net program that supplies diapers to low-income families. If you’re like me? Before I started this, i thought a program like WIC or SNAP would supply diapers. But they don’t," he said.
Rep. Dominguez said Utah families spend on average $200 to $400 a month on diapers, money that could be used to pay other household needs. Her bill would provide a report to quantify the need for diapers. Rep. Dominguez is also asking the Utah State Legislature for $1.5 million to help cover the Utah Diaper Bank's staffing and costs. The group gets diapers from a variety of sources. Some are donated and others are purchased thanks to fundraising.
"I think it’s important that we help with children and keep their bums clean," she said.
Velivus said people miss work because of diapers.
"If you want to use day care? You have to have diapers. They didn’t have diapers to give so they could use day care. Now they can attend work, they don’t have to miss appointments," he said. "You can buy more gas. Maybe this month they don’t have to pay half the electric bill, they can pay the whole electric bill. Things like that that really change people’s lives."
