With families out of work facing critical shortages of food and supplies for children, First 5 Alameda County announced a $3 million dollar grant to help distribute food, diapers, wipes, and cleaning supplies to local parents and caregivers in need.
First 5 Alameda County, a public agency that funds early child care and education programs, will distribute the funds to five organizations: The Alameda County Community Food Bank, Bay Area-based supply distribution organization SupplyBank.Org, and three child care resource and referral agencies—BANANAS, Community Child Care Council of Alameda County (4Cs), and Hively—which contract with the state to administer child care subsidies in Alameda County. The food bank and SupplyBank.org will receive $350,000, while each child care resource and referral agency will be given $100,000.
“We identified those partners as being vital to the distribution of food and supplies,” says First 5 communications specialist Erika Kuempel. “For families who were already in crisis before COVID, this is a huge hit to them. We are trying to protect their safety and well-being and promote the well-being of their children.”
As the coronavirus leads to unprecedented job and financial losses statewide, organizations working with families and caregivers say many are struggling to access basic supplies like diapers, wipes, baby formula, thermometers, and masks. A community survey conducted by First 5 of nearly two dozen agencies working with about 16,000 families across Alameda County indicated that the most requested items were food and supplies such as diapers, wipes, and cleaning and personal hygiene items. Child care workers also are requesting protective equipment and cleaning supplies.
“We had an instance when a mother saw one of our diaper kits out in the community and she found her way to our office and said, ‘I have one diaper left. Please help me,'” says Kuempel. “Some people are stretching diapers, trying to make them last longer, reusing them, and that can lead to complications. It’s a really important health issue to be able to have your baby be clean and taken care of.”
The grant money comes from the passage of Proposition 10, a 1998 cigarette pack tax to fund early-childhood education that established the state’s network of 58 First 5 agencies, including Alameda County’s. An additional $2 million will be available for distribution to community organizations when the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
This article is part of The California Divide, a collaboration among newsrooms examining income inequity and economic survival in California.