Share The Love
Share the Love brings cloth diapering to those in need
Marquette, MI – The U.P. is fortunate to have a new service that will make cloth diapers more accessible to families who could otherwise not afford. A recent study reported that one in three American families are forced to choose between household necessities and diapers. A program like Share the Love can be a huge benefit for those living paycheck to paycheck.
The Share the Love program was launched in 2012 by Cotton Babies cloth diaper company owner Jennifer Labit who was herself a mother forced to choose between buying diapers or food for her children. A gift of cloth diapers from a family friend helped her family immensely and changed her life. Says Labit, “I hope Share the Love will do the same for others.”
Share the Love is currently available to eligible families living near a participating host site. All diapers distributed through the program have been donated by other families who no longer need their cloth diaper supplies. They are then sanitized, repaired, and prepared to be passed on to awaiting recipients within the local area.
A set of cloth diapers being donated through the Share the Love program. (photo by Erica McMillan)
I am very excited to announce that we now have our own Share the Love volunteer here in the Marquette area! After diapering her own baby for the past 22 months Jennifer Heikkila became a passionate advocate for spreading the benefits of cloth diapering and upon discovering the Share the Love program she signed on immediately to be a host for her local community on a voluntary basis.
Heikkila found Share the Love’s core beliefs to be in alignment with her own stating that,”No-one should have to choose between food and diapers. We could be helping so many people!” Cloth diapering has many benefits and the design of cloth diapers has come a long way since the time of our mothers and grandmothers. Hiekkila hopes to dispel many of the myths that cloth diapers are complicated and lots of work, “Pins and plastic pants are a thing of the past! ” she says.
Jennifer Heikkila answers questions about using cloth diapers. (photo by Erica McMillan)
Heikkila has just supplied her first applicant with a set of cloth diapers for one of her two children and hopes to receive enough donations to provide a another set for her additional child as well as supplies for another applicant that is currently waiting. She’s trying to get the word out to our local community that there is an interest in these services and a need for donations. Cloth diaper donations will be accepted even if they are damaged or stained. Heikkila will remove stains and make any necessary repairs so they can be re-used.
Also in the works for the future she will be organizing a monthly sewing circle in Marquette and Ishpeming to make repairs to donations and create new absorbent liners from old flannel sheets and shirts. There are plenty of opportunities to Share the Love with this great program that is doing a wonderful service for communities nation wide!
Stephanie Pabst and daughter Makaiyah are the first family to recieve cloth diapers through the Share the Love program here in the U.P. (photo by Erica McMillan)
Benefits of Using Cloth Diapers:
Cost Savings: Diapering a baby in disposables from birth to 2 years old can cost $2,000.00 or more (depending on the brand you’re using). Cloth diapers can save you a considerable amount. With an initial investment of $200 – $50 (for brand new) You can re-use until your little one is ready to potty train. Most cloth diaper covers are adjustable allowing you to continue usage as they grow!
Health Factors: Cloth diapers are made without the harsh chemicals found in disposable that can cause irritation to baby’s skin and diaper rashes.
Environmentally Friendly: Cloth diapers won’t stick around till the end of time like disposables reducing solid waste in our landfills. They are can be reused and passed on to friends or donated to great programs like Share the Love when you’re children are finished with them.
Those interested in receiving diapers from Share the Love need only show they are WIC eligible or receiving WIC, fill out an application, and write a short essay about how they feel cloth diaper donations can benefit their family.
Anyone interested in donating diapers, supplies, or other services can also contact Share the Love and will be put in touch with our new local representative Jennifer Heikkila.
For more info:
U.P. Cloth Diaper Circle on facebook
For more info on parenting issues related to caring for babies visit our parenting section
Nadine Paquette changing her daughter Lydia Gustafson into her
very first cloth diaper.
A recent worldwide event called the Great Cloth Diapering was held promoting cloth diapering by having communities of parents gather together in their local areas to swaddle their babies in cloth diapers at the same time. Jennifer Heikkila organized a community diapering during the YMCA health fair in Marquette on April 26, 2014. 25 families turned out to participate in the event shown in the following photos.
25 moms turned out to put cloth diapers on their babies as part of the world wide Great Cloth Diapering event.
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