BRYAN, Texas — Parents across the country are now reporting a shortage of necessary baby items like diapers and formula. The Brazos Valley Catholic Charity hopes to help ease the struggle for some of these parents.
For Brazos Valley, Catholic charities have taken a day that's typically spent fund-raising and turned it into a day of giving.
“Diapers, we’re giving away hygiene kits, we’re giving away formulas, we’re also giving away toys for the kids,” said John Paci, director of Brazos Valley Catholic Charities.
Petrecia Ray knows how hard it is to come by these items at the store, she hopes this drive will ease the burden and help new parents
”That gives her something that she doesn’t have to worry about and something that she doesn’t have to spend money on right now," said Ray, a community member.
"Because I have seen the shortage with the milk cans and it has been harder for some of the parents out here,”
According to the national diaper bank, 1 in 3 U.S families needs diapers. Meanwhile, the pandemic has created many financial obstacles for families and supply chain shortages it hasn't made things any easier.
”Helping to eliminate poverty in this area is part of it and so giving back to the community is just a great way of showing what we want to do for this well-connected community and those especially in need,” said Paci.
Volunteers of all ages sacrificed their time to help those in need.
“It means a lot for everyone to be able to give back in some kind of capacity it’s just amazing whether it’s big or small," said Ray.
"How everyone comes together we can help each other as a community,"
The impact was bigger than the organization could have ever imagined.
In the first hour, they served 150 cars and they hope to continue this annual event for years to come.