Low-income families with babies in San Mateo County will soon be receiving free diapers after the county’s Board of Supervisors this week approved funding for the distribution of free diaper supplies.
The board at its Oct. 3 meeting approved $50,000 in funds to support a free diaper supplies pilot program for families in need, county officials said in a news release.
Two San Mateo County Libraries locations will distribute at least 1,800 kits during special giveaways from this month to February of next year. Each kit will hold 80 diapers and 200 wipes, county officials said.
Much of the funding came from Measure K, a countywide half-cent sales tax extension. County libraries also leveraged donated diapers from SupplyBank.org, a nonprofit that provides essential goods to under-resourced communities, according to the office of Supervisor Ray Mueller, who sponsored the program.
According to the county, low-income families spend approximately 14 percent of their after-tax income on diapers and studies have shown that a family’s level of poverty spikes after the birth of a child.
“No family should have to make the impossible decision between paying rent, putting food on the table or taking care of their baby using necessary supplies such as diapers,” Mueller said in a statement.