February 06, 2021
Diaper Drive Benefits Office of Concern Food Pantry’s Clients
Families who face financial hurdles constantly make difficult decisions, including whether to buy basics such as diapers for their children. With an eye toward this forgotten need, the Academy of the Holy Angels hosted a Diaper Drive that netted nearly 4,000 diapers, 4,400 baby wipes, and a $100 donation for the Office of Concern.
“These items were donated to the Office of Concern Food Pantry at St. Cecilia’s Church in Englewood,” said AHA Campus Minister Maryanne Miloscia.
“They have 1,000 registered families, and families with young children can obtain diapers each week.”
The Office of Concern Food Pantry is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides “the invisible poor” with food and other daily necessities. Clients include senior citizens, the working poor, and those struggling to feed babies and young children. This non-profit has been serving the community since 1980, when it was organized to support local families who had lost their homes in a fire. Over time, the Office of Concern has become one of northern New Jersey’s largest food pantries. While it is sponsored by Saint Cecilia’s and associated with the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, the Office of Concern is independent and serves clients regardless of religion, race, or culture.
The Office of Concern reports that 44 percent of families who use diapers are low-income families, yet diapers are not covered by federal or state programs. The cost of diapers, which is approximately $80 per month per child, consumes a large portion of a low-income family’s wages, forcing them to make difficult choices among food, rent, and diapers. Notably, families with diaper shortages report more difficulty with stress management, depression, and coping with trauma, which can negatively affect a child’s health and development. (Source of the preceding statistics: www.officeofconcern.com).
Office of Concern Board Member Fred Emmer and volunteer Thomas Barrett graciously received AHA’s donation from AHA Director of Campus Ministry Kathleen Sylvester.
Founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1879, the Academy of the Holy Angels is the oldest private girls’ school in Bergen County. While AHA is steeped in Catholic tradition, this prestigious high school serves young women from a broad spectrum of cultural and religious backgrounds. Over time, thousands of women have passed through AHA’s portals. Many go on to study at some of the nation’s best universities, earning high-ranking positions in medicine, government, law, education, public service, business, arts, and athletics. The Academy’s current leaders continue to further the SSND mission to provide each student with the tools she needs to reach the fullness of her potential—spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically, by offering a first-rate education in a nurturing environment where equal importance is placed on academic excellence, character development, moral integrity, and service to others.