United Way Day of Action Nets 42,000 Diapers for Needy

Middlesex United Way’s third annual Day of Action, held every year on June 21, the Summer Solstice, invites individuals to support a cause.

Nearly 3,000 babies in Middlesex County live in families too poor to diaper them properly leaving their health and well-being seriously at risk. The Diaper Bank’s yearly supply of diapers to Middlesex County is only enough to assist 200 families.

Teams of volunteers from local companies and civic groups were stationed outside all five Stop & Shop stores in the county to collect donations from company drives, individuals and shoppers. More than 42,000 disposable diapers and $560 in cash donations were collected. Donations were delivered to the Diaper Bank and will be distributed to Middlesex County families in need through four local programs.

Many businesses and organizations have been running drives since early May including: Pratt & Whitney, Water’s Edge Rehabilitation, Liberty Bank, Wright-Pierce, Godiva, Northeast Utilities, the Middlefield Federated Church, and Tower Laboratories. Employees at Cooper-Atkins of Middlefield were engaged in an exciting drive and successfully collected more than 14,000 diapers alone. FCP Groton contributed a driver and truck to transport the diapers and Enterprise Rent-A-Car donated two vans.