Nappy drive: charity campaign with healthy bottom line

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or the past two years Melissa Woodward, a remedial massage therapist and women’s health coach who runs Evolution Health Services from Lindesay Street, Campbelltown, has been part of an unusual charity event – a nappy drive.

For two weeks in May, Evolution Health Services becomes a collection point for unused, disposable nappies which are then given to families in need and women escaping from domestic violence.

The Nappy Collective, a national charity, is behind the annual nappy campaign passionately embraced by Evolution Health Services here in Macarthur.

Melissa Woodward says she is excited that Evolution Health Services will be part of the Nappy Collective campaign for the third year in a row.

“We have seen the generosity of the local Macarthur community in past drives and we hope we can continue to receive the same support again this year,’’ Ms Woodward said.

[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“We are only asking parents to donate something that you already have and no longer need.[/social_quote]

“Babies grow out of disposable nappies quickly so we can collect them and forward them to families who will make good use of these nappies.

“We would like to thank the Macarthur community for their generous donations and support in spreading the word over the past two years,’’ she said.

This year’s two week nappy campaign will start on Friday, May 4.

Since 2013 the Nappy Collective has distributed two million nappies to needy families and women fleeing domestic violence.

It wants to reach three million nappies by 2019.

The organisation was founded in 2013 by then CEO Sandra Jacobs, after she found herself asking “what should we do with all the nappies our babies have grown out of’’.

Ms Jacobs found she wasn’t alone, with a group of mothers in her network sharing the same concern. Rather than passing them onto a friend, keeping them for the next child or throwing them away, the group started collecting and donating nappies to women in crisis.

Like all good causes, the organic uptake of its goodwill saw The Nappy Collective gather 1,500 nappies in its first two weeks.

“The provision of nappies, a basic necessity for the care of a child, removes a financial and logistical barrier and can improve the mental wellbeing for women and parents in crisis,’’ says Lani Masuku, the chief executive officer of the Nappy Collective.

“Our beneficiary organisations are always critically desperate for nappies, an item that does not receive government support,’’ Ms Masuku said.

“The campaigns are not only an opportunity to address this need, but they also provide parents and families with the opportunity to educate their children about positive change, doing good and giving back before they even know what social change is.”

According to the most recent study conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, about 311,104 babies are born in Australia each year, equating to between 600,000 to 900,000 nappy wearing babies and toddlers.

That’s a lot of nappies.

If every baby donated their leftover unused nappies this would create significant relief for families in crisis who often are faced with the choice between nappies and other necessities, such as food or healthcare needs for themselves.

If you can help out, drop off your disposable nappies at Evolution Health Services, Suite 3, 150 Lindesay Street Campbelltown during May 4-18.

Evolution Health Services is open six days a week.