The Diaper Bank of NC is using every avenue to distribute diapers, baby formula, period products, and other hygiene items to western North Carolina.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Michelle Schaefer-Old and her team are working around the clock to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene.
“We start really early and usually our trucks and vans deploy,” Schaefer-Old said. “We usually have about eight deliveries a day. We’re not just going and dumping stuff off at a big distribution center. We are being very intentional, working with mayors of the towns.”
Schaefer-Old is the founder and CEO of Diaper Bank of North Carolina.
She said they are using every avenue, even getting behind the wheel herself, to distribute diapers, baby formula, period products, and other hygiene items to western North Carolina.
“All of our products have gone out by vehicles, airplanes, helicopters, mules, and ATVs,” Schaefer-Old said. “There’s a lot of great work around making sure people have hot meals and sure they have shelter and blankets, but when it comes to hygiene items it’s not something really thought about.”
Schaefer-Old said that two million products have been delivered as of Monday.
“Over the next three to four weeks we imagine that we’ll be far surpassing those numbers as we continue to serve the region,” Schaefer-Old said. “We have a six-month plan to do this work for families in western North Carolina.”
As they assess that plan, she says, the work they’re doing is not a sprint but a marathon.
“We are used to working in disasters,” Schaefer-Old said. “We worked in Hurricane Florence. We are still serving families that were impacted by that storm. So, we know this is a long-term recovery effort for families.”
