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Heartland Hope Mission, Life House team up to provide diapers to families in need

Posted at 11:21 AM, Jul 31, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-31 12:25:12-04

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Most of us have a story to tell from the beginning of the pandemic when it comes to the shortage of toilet paper. But can you imagine being a parent and not being able to get your hands on diapers?

It's a tough decision no parent should never have to make.

"Parents would have to make that choice. Do I buy food, do I buy diapers? I can only afford one or the other," said Renae Bush of Heartland Hope Mission.

But two community organizations, Heartland Hope Mission and Life House, are working together to fill in that gap, giving parents the added support they need.

"Our goal is to end diaper need in the greater Omaha area," said Tegan Reed, executive director of Life House. "We knew our outreach could not reach all of the babies, so we looked for organizations looking to work beside us."

The Heartland Hope Mission was the perfect partner organization.

"Before Life House, absolutely we would run out of sizes the sizes; 4, 5 and 6 are our most requested sizes," Bush said. "We didn't have 4's; we didn't have size 5's."

The need was - and still is - as important as ever.

"Being able to get diapers is a blessing," said mom, Dewanna Parker. "Sometimes different things come up financially, so this really is a blessing for us as it helps us out financially."

Life House gives out about 5,000 diapers a month to different organizations, comforting more than a thousand kids.

"This is a scary time; a lot of people don't even know what tomorrow looks like," Bush said. "Being able to give that hope to people that really need it right now it has been rewarding."

Heartland Hope Mission says they usually serve about 45,000 families per year. Right now they are on track to help 65,000 families.

You can sign up with the Heartland Hope Mission or directly with Life Houseto receive diapers.