I meet some of the best people on the job. Also some of the cutest.
Last week I was on assignment for a magazine, shooting a woman who started this brilliant charity, The Diaper Bank. It turns out diapers and cleaning supplies (we're talking soap, shampoo, detergent, bleach) are not covered by food stamps. So, say you're not quite getting by, you can get some food but your kids need diapers? No way. And babies being what we all are, they need fresh diapers. Instead , there're babies swaddled in reused plastic diapers, as in lots of germs and unhappiness. Squalling babies lead to snapping tempers, germs lead to..well you know, and not having fresh diapers means you can't drop your kids off in any kind of childcare to work or go to class. It's one big nasty situation.
(I know some of you are saying why not go cloth? Lack of washing machines, many laundromats do not allow cloth diapers and to make things worse, you can't get laundry detergent for washing diapers with food stamps, either).
Anyway, you can read about The Diaper Bank here.
Anyway, you can read about The Diaper Bank here.
By the way? That little cutie is a beneficiary of the charity, he came by to pose with the founder but was happy to sit alone for the test shots until she got to the warehouse. I tried to pack him up with my equipment but didn't get away with it.....
* the title refers to this classic book, a huge hit during the toilet training days around here. Dave and I can still recite most of it by heart, more than a decade later--the two humped camel page? So special.
5 comments:
Thanks for reminding everyone how hard it is for low income people to survive, on how the little things we take for granted can be impossibly hard to get when you have barely enough money to pay the rent. "Welfare to Work" can only happen when society looks at real unmet needs and helps with solutions. Sounds like the project you photographed is a terrific example of people doing just that!
Tess
Should that be a blaaaaah back guarantee? Great project idea. I remember when friends who were not on food stamps struggled so desperately to pay for things like diapers and tampons while trying to pay the rent and feed the kids. Thanks for the reminder.
We have Everybody Farts and it has been read over and over. The breasfeeding book by the same folks is very popular around here too.
Your post makes me think again about the woman who hustled me for diaper money on a midtown platform many years ago. I gave her five bucks and then she wanted more. It must be almost 20 years ago but I still remember it so clearly.
Nice cause for me to learn about.
As a sidebar, we went to see Greg Proops in NYC which was rather disappointing -- but there was an article about the show entitled, "Everybody Proops." Best part of the show. Hee.
...makes a two-humped poop. Just kidding!
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