11th Annual Cobb Diaper Day

Thanks to the generosity of SM&P staff and others in the community, more than 125,000 diapers were collected for low-income Cobb County families during the 11th Annual Cobb Diaper Need Awareness Week, culminating on Diaper Day, September 30. That evening, a local crowd gathered in Glover Park on the Marietta Square to show support for less fortunate families with small children and remember Barbara Hickey, the organizer of Diaper Days. Since 2009, the total number of diapers collected through the event has exceeded one million.

The Drive was established to fill the gap left by food stamps, which do not cover hygiene items like diapers, and daycare centers, which do not provide diapers. Diaper costs average $100 a month, a huge budget challenge for many young families. Without Diaper Day donors, these families would have no relief from this large expense and could find themselves cutting corners on food, medicine, or clothing.

“It didn’t surprise me to see our staff step up to the plate for this event again this year,” said SM&P managing partner Mary Montgomery. “Every day, as family law attorneys, they see the stress young families experience. They wanted to go beyond legal representation to do more. I’m proud of them for their role in this successful drive.”

“We were joined by people from all over the county who dropped off diapers of every size,” said SM&P account manager Stacy Johnson and mother of two, who spearheaded the efforts of the firm. “This drive is so important to low-income families. Raising a family today is tough enough without the burden of wondering where the necessities will come from.”

The annual event is a part of the Cobb Children’s Fund, whose mission is to passionately advocate for financially struggling families and children in need. All collected diapers will be donated to the Center for Family Resources, liveSAFE Resources, MUST Ministries, Ser Familia, Cobb and Douglas Public Health, Sweetwater Mission, and Communities in Schools of Georgia. “Because of limited funds, these local agencies can offer diapers to clients only four times a year,” said Drive coordinator Nurdan Cornelius. “Because of the generosity of our community, the burden is lessened.”