LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Among the many expenses of having a new infant is the cost of diapers.
There’s really no substitute for a diaper, and the cost is off-the-charts for young mothers struggling to make ends meet. But for many young and economically-burdened mothers, HELP of Southern Nevada answers the need.
For instance, Shantenea has a toddler, an infant and one on the way.
Her hands are full but her bank account is not. That’s why she comes to HELP of Southern Nevada every week for free essentials.
RELATED: Vegas Golden Knights stars deliver turkeys to 800 families during Turkey-A-Thon
“I think there's so much guilt sometimes with our clients not being able to provide," said Abby Quinn with HELP. "They brought the child into the world and now [they] can't provide diapers."
Quinn says HELP absorbed the Las Vegas Diaper Bank several years ago because it was failing, and the service was so needed.
“We are allowed to purchase from the national diaper bank where we can get these diapers for 33 cents a diaper," she explained.
"No mom or dad would ever want their child to sit in a diaper," she said. "And that, to make that decision of having to keep your kid in like a dirty..., that's just like not, no one should have to go through that."
With HELP, diapers are just the start of what they freely give Shantenea. “I need help with jobs,” she said.
RELATED: 13 Days and Knights of Giving
“A lot of our clients in our Baby First Services program are young first-time mothers," said Quinn. "They are coming from situations where the parents kicked them out because they were pregnant or their parents aren't able to help them financially."
HELP of Southern Nevada services to the community is broad and deep.
If you’d like to help, a $50 donation supplies 300 diapers to their diaper bank.
To learn more about HELP of Southern Nevada visit helpsonv.org or call (702) 836-2130.
Learn more about the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation at nhl.com.
13 Days and Knights of Giving is sponsored by the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation.