Struggling parents find some help with Diapers for Dubois

The little box offering needed supplies for new parents had been on Rachel Aders’ mind for months. She’d even been stocking up on diapers and supplies for three months in anticipation of the helpful box she and her husband, Kyle, would install at their Ferdinand home.

Kyle had spent about six hours constructing what would become Diapers for Dubois with donated materials from Rachel’s father, Tim Cummings. On Tuesday, he set the posts in the ground, and the helpful box officially opened at the corner of Delaware and Sixth Streets in Ferdinand.

As she filled it with the diapers and wet wipes, Rachel was relieved to see it finally finished.

“It’s been on my mind for months,” she said. “It’s been something that I would wake up and think about. I have had too many worries and thoughts about it.”

As the idea formed, Rachel wondered if people would think she was silly for putting up the box offering free diapers, but her family encouraged her to do it.

And Rachel, 33, understands the struggles of being a young mom. She had her son when she was 17.

“I took care of my newborn baby, worked weekends, and went to school,” she explained. “It was only because I had help from my mom, dad and my newborn’s grandparents that I was able to have diapers and all the necessities that it took to raise an infant.”

She credits this kindness with making her a more compassionate person. Creating Diapers for Dubois is as much about helping others as it is about helping to instill empathy into her children and “hope that one day, they will do good things for others.”

Rachel also recognized young parents’ struggle today as the cost of diapers and wet wipes is not insubstantial. According to the National Diaper Bank Network, the average baby goes through six to ten diapers daily, costing $70 to $80 per month.

“I actually read that nearly half of American families struggle to afford enough diapers,” Rachel said. “People are having to choose between paying bills or putting diapers on their babies.”

A 2023 National Diaper Bank Network study reported that 47 percent of new families struggle to purchase enough diapers for their children.

Rachel hopes the box helps those needing diapers and that others will support it.

“Anyone is free to get diapers; there are no restrictions on what you make or where you’re from. I just asked that you be trustworthy and only take what you need,” she said.

She plans to post Venmo information in the box for potential donors. If you want to donate supplies, you can drop them off at the box located at the corner of Deleware and Sixth Streets in Ferdinand.

Rachel would love to see more people take up the cause.

“I just want others to know the love and care I received and my child received,” she said. “Everyone needs to know that they are loved.”