Drawer Drops and Diaper Drives
It is one of the best gifts my mother has ever given me. She spent the winter piecing it together and now I hold in my hands a bound and translated copy of the letters her own mother wrote to her from a Salzburg refugee settlement in the late 1940′s. From Hungarian to English, these letters unfold the tale of a family coping in a postwar world and they were sent on their way across the Atlantic sealed with love and hope for an eldest daughter’s success. Woven in among the family news were requests for my mother to send back goods that were otherwise impossible to obtain in the difficult living conditions amid Europe’s rubble.
Antibiotics, sugar and shoes were among the expected enumerations of these letters’ requests. But one particular petition stood out for me, an item so commonplace in my life that I have never before given it a second thought. Her mother desperately needed elastic waistband material because the little children’s underwear was falling apart and she hoped to mend the articles.
The picture in my mind of my maternal grandmother patiently waiting for the arrival of some elastic so she could take care of her little ones’ hidden needs is something I cannot shake. My own kids have outgrown plenty of pairs of bright white underwear that still had a lot of life left in them but underwear is not a used clothing category that Goodwill handles. With momentary guilt, I have had to discard these pieces.
Cotton underwear is easily found in packages of multiples at most department stores and is sold at prices that do not seem like much of a hardship. But that is shallow thinking on my part; I am not taking into account what levels of hardship may possibly exist in my own town. There are many hidden struggles that lie beneath the veneer of my community or simply do not attract my radar because of my limited social scope. Undergarments may be more of an unsung concern that I originally thought.
After a little research, I have discovered that shelters, charities and relief organizations deeply appreciate donations of new underwear, baby diapers and adult incontinence products like adult diapers and pull-ups. It turns out that “out of sight, out of mind” applies to this particular area of clothing contributions. There is always an outstanding request for a supply of these items in unopened, new packaging at charitable organizations.
With that potent image of my grandmother’s particular request in mind, I think it would only be appropriate for me to organize a Diaper Dump or Drawer Drop. Privately, it would be in honor of that lifeline between she and her daughter. Publicly, it would raise awareness about an overlooked need in our own community, benefitting both givers and receivers.
Cotton underwear and disposable baby diaper contributions may initially appear to be the main focus of such an event but there are some other important elements to consider. The expense of both disposable baby diapers and adult diapers do not come under the umbrellas of the WIC , Medicare or food stamps programs. This often leaves an already strapped family in a deeper lurch over some basic necessities that cannot be ignored. Adult diapers and adult incontinence products may seem like an unusual component of a charity drive, but it is important to realize that adult diapers are a financial burden for many seniors living on the edge and family caregivers who already have a full plate of financial obligations.
The rules of organizing a Diaper Drive or Drawer Drop are open to possibility and imagination. After entering a partnership with a charity for the event, it is important to focus on publicity. Churches, fire departments, schools, clinics are all among the myriad places to approach about placing posters and possibly being drop off locations. A local radio station can announce the drive in its public service messages, maybe even send a local radio personality down to broadcast from your central collection location. Outdoor activities can feature as much entertainment volunteerism as you can muster, from balloon animal making to a chili cook-off.
If one wanted to kick things up a notch or two, in the words of a popular chef, a cocktail occasion celebrating the cause could be a ticketed event. Admission would also require the drop of donated undies or adult diapers at the door for a fun “Drop Your Drawers” evening. An evening like this has the promise of popular appeal and could easily become an annual event.
My mother, at eighteen years old and steadily paying back her trans Atlantic fare, would get off from a shift of emptying bedpans at a psychiatric hospital and pack a parcel of medicine, clothes and treats to ship back to Europe. Dutifully and lovingly tucked in among the hard earned goods, was a generous roll of elastic waistband material. It is a different time now but some unseen needs have not changed. We can certainly do something about that on our own home front.
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