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First Step warns state funding cut threatens local diaper bank; seeks county proclamations and partners
Summary
Alicia Anderson, executive director of First Step Family Support Center, told the Spall County Board of Health on July 15 that state diaper-bank funding has been reduced by about 60% for 2025 and that award amounts and processes are still being determined.
Alicia Anderson, executive director of First Step Family Support Center, told the Spall County Board of Health on July 15 that state funding for diaper banks has been reduced by about 60% for 2025 and that First Step does not yet know the size of the award in the next Department of Commerce grant round.
First Step runs an 11-depot diaper distribution network across the county and reported serving 709 unique families last year, distributing about 226,000 diapers, 415,000 baby wipes and 114 tubes of rash ointment. "Diapers are critically important to families for lots and lots of reasons," Anderson said, noting links between diaper need, missed work and physical and mental health harms.
Anderson described the local operation and costs: First Step buys diapers in bulk for about $0.19 per diaper for the diaper bank; retail prices are typically $0.30–$0.50 per diaper. She said diapers cost roughly $1,200 a year per child and that costs and transportation make access harder in rural parts of the county. Lutheran Community Services is a funded partner locally, Anderson said, and First Step is a member of the National Diaper Bank Network.
Anderson asked the Board to support local proclamations during National Diaper Need Awareness Week in September and to consider local partnership, cash donations, or hosting collection drives. She said First Step will provide a toolkit to help churches, senior centers, employers and other organizations participate in a community “great diaper drive,” including options to buy diapers online and ship directly to First Step.
Board members asked about agency finances and program continuity; Anderson said the agency has reserves and some program expansions but that the Forks Family Resource Center faces loss of family resource center funding and may rely on agency reserves. No formal county funding decision was made at the meeting; Anderson asked for awareness, local proclamations and community partnerships while the Department of Commerce completes its RFP and award process.
