(Chicago) — Two TASC programs that serve children and families in Chicago and Peoria have received generous donations from Bentonville, Arkansas-based Sam’s Club. The donations include nearly 800 containers of baby formula as well as 1,100 diapers and nearly 8,000 wipes.
The gift was facilitated by Ivie & Associates and Diamond Marketing Solutions, an Illinois-based company.
For the more than 2,600 families TASC supports through these programs, the items provide critical relief for household budgets that are severely strained. A 2013 report published in the journal Pediatrics found that 30 percent of mothers in poverty report that an adequate supply of diapers is unaffordable to them, correlating to significantly increased maternal depression and anxiety, which also creates greater social, emotional, and behavioral risks for children.
A sufficient supply of diapers costs an average of $18 per week per child, the study reported. Almost 8 percent of women reported changing diapers less frequently when their supply is running short, creating significant risks for baby diaper rash and urinary tract infections.
The federal SNAP (food stamp) program does not allow for the purchase of diapers, and families in poverty often lack washing machines to clean cloth diapers. In Illinois, State Senator Michael Frerichs (D-Champaign) proposed legislation earlier this year (SB2672) to exempt diapers from sales tax.
The diapers and other donations to TASC from Sam’s Club directly support families in Illinois who struggle with these basic necessities.
TASC Executive Vice President Peter Palanca (left) and Philanthropy Director Ben Underwood (right) with donated formula ready to deliver to families.
In Chicago, the Recovery Coach Program helps parents with alcohol or other drug problems achieve the sobriety and wellness they need to be the parents their children deserve. TASC works with each client individually, developing a recovery plan and ensuring that parents have access to the community-based support services they need to provide a healthy and stable home.
In Peoria, TASC’s Smart Start program serves low-income, high-risk women and girls who are pregnant or who have children under age five. Smart Start was created as a response to an infant mortality crisis in Peoria County, where in recent years the local infant mortality rate has been alarmingly higher than the national average. TASC’s intensive one-on-one work with at-risk mothers ensures that they receive proper prenatal care and education, and helps women build and maintain healthy lives for themselves and
“TASC is deeply grateful to have Sam’s Club, Ivie & Associates, and Diamond Marketing Solutions as partners in our work,” said TASC Executive Vice President Peter Palanca. “Without basic necessities like diapers, parents struggle and children suffer. It truly takes all of us working together to help children grow up in healthy families.”
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