United Way organizes community diaper drive

Published 5:07 pm Tuesday, March 2, 2021

One in three mothers struggles to provide diapers for their child. That was the driving statistic for the creation of a diaper drive organized by the United Way of West Central Mississippi.

“This is the first year to hold a community diaper drive and it is taking the place of our baby shower,” United Way Director of Marketing and Resource Development Alesia Shaw said.

Due to the pandemic, the annual baby shower, which allowed expectant mothers and new parents to walk around in the lobby of Merit Health River Region Hospital collecting resource information, will not be held.

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But in an effort to continue to help new parents with their baby needs, Shaw said organizers decided to hold a diaper drive instead.

“Diaper drives are done all over the country,” Shaw said. And when doing research for the local drive, Shaw said, she became aware of the number of mothers who need diapers. “It just hit me,” she said. “One in three moms can’t diaper their child.

Additional data showed that if a child does not have diapers they cannot go to pre-school or daycare, “So, therefore, the learning doesn’t’ start,” Shaw said.

The Community Diaper Drive, which began Monday, will continue through the end of the month. Diapers can be dropped off at the United Way’s office at 920 South St. from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 31.

The United Way is also encouraging businesses to put a box in the office for donated diapers. Also, those wanting to donate can visit Amazon.com.

“We have set up a community-wide diaper drive account and you can go in there and order the diapers and they will be sent to us,” Shaw said.

For more information on the Community Diaper Drive, visit www.unitedwayvicksburg.org/community-diaper-drive.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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