Nappy aid: New partnership to bring relief to local families

“It’s a necessity,” Shepparton Food Share operations manager Graeme Murphy said.

“It’s just so expensive for nappies nowadays, and for food.

“If you’re saving money on nappies, then you’ve got money you can spend on utilities and petrol, and all that sort of stuff.”

The Nappy Collective has collected nearly eight million donated nappies at drop-off points across Australia since it began in 2013.

That includes spots in the Shepparton area.

However, while there were points for local donations to be dropped off, The Nappy Collective operations manager Lauren Read said the organisation lacked the infrastructure to distribute nappies broadly around Shepparton.

“We’ve got really high support in metro areas,” Ms Read said.

“But we know that regional families are doing it tough.”

Ms Read said a lack of infrastructure should not mean families in regional Victoria missed out on the opportunity to receive relief.

That’s where Shepparton Food Share comes in.

The organisation has an existing distribution setup and was keen to include nappies in its deliveries to local agencies that work with families in crisis, and those experiencing long-term financial struggles.

Starting in mid-January, that’s just what it has done.

“They’re so thankful for it,” Mr Murphy said of the partner agencies that are receiving nappy donations.

He said the main issue now was ensuring there were enough nappies to distribute and ensuring the right sizes were available.

Just one month in, Shepparton Food Share has run out of nappies.

Ms Read said, across the board, demand was high at the moment.

“We’re seeing the highest need ever in our 11-year history,” she said.

According to The Nappy Collective, at least one in 10 families across Australia struggles to afford nappies, something that can create a lot of stress for both parents and children.

Ms Read said parents may leave children in soiled nappies for longer than they’d like to because they didn’t have enough, and that could cause physical and emotional distress.

“Our focus is making sure children have enough nappies to be clean, healthy and happy,” she said.

Providing donated nappies to families who are financially stressed gives them some breathing room, she said.

“Not only is that immediate physical relief for that child, you’re bringing emotional and financial relief for the parents.”

Both Ms Read and Mr Murphy are urging people in the Shepparton community to donate to help local families.

All nappies donated at drop-off points in the area will be distributed locally.

New packets of disposable and reusable nappies are accepted.

Community members can also donate opened packets of disposable nappies that their little ones may have grown out of, or that they no longer need.

All sizes are welcome, but there’s a particular need for size one and size six, Ms Read said.

“We need more local support to help local families,” she said.

The Nappy Collective has drop-off points for donations at the following locations:

“We all know how supportive the Shepparton region is, and I encourage everyone who can to donate unused nappies or pick up a pack during their next shop,” state Member for Shepparton Kim O’Keeffe said.

“I have seen many times the generosity of the community and this is another opportunity to support those doing it tough.”

Shepparton Food Share’s Mr Murphy said he hoped eventually the service could grow to provide more nappies, and perhaps wipes, powders and creams.

A father-of-three, Mr Murphy remembers running out of nappies and having to pay high prices at a petrol station or 24-hour chemist.

“It’s a necessity for a parent,” he said, of having access to an adequate supply of nappies.