FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

Contact: Emilia.Rowland@mail.house.gov

Congresswoman Summer Lee announces $1,197,707 in new grant funding to expand diaper distribution networks for over 2,000 children in Allegheny & Westmoreland County

[WASHINGTON, DC]: Today, Congresswoman Summer Lee announced the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania (CAAP) received $1,197,707 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Diaper Distribution Pilot. This award will help the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank and their existing partners expand diaper distribution services and connect participating families with other programs that address the causes and conditions of poverty. This award comes during National Diaper Need Awareness Week and will help caregivers who struggle to maintain enough diapers to keep their children safe, dry, and healthy.

Congresswoman Lee said, “At a moment where 17% of Pennsylvania children live in households below the poverty line, I’m proud to announce over $1 million federal dollars will go to expanding distribution to over 2,000 children in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. This grant sends a clear message to families struggling to afford diapers: You don’t have to figure it out on your own. We, as a community, are here to support you and your children. As we mark National Diaper Need Awareness Week, let’s not forget that a month’s supply of diapers can mean the world to a struggling family.  As your Congresswoman raised by a single mom in the Mon Valley,  we hear you, we hear you, and we’ll continue fighting for every child and every caregiver every single day. 

The consequences of diaper need extend beyond the physical health of children; without a sufficient supply of diapers, families with low incomes face significant obstacles to their economic mobility and security. Diaper needs can prevent children from attending child care, caregivers from going to work, and families from achieving self-sufficiency.

About the Grant Recipient:

The Community Action Association of Pennsylvania (CAAP) represents the network of 43 community action agencies across the state, serving as a voice for local agencies and people with low incomes in Pennsylvania.

Using the $1,197,707 awarded for the Diaper Distribution Pilot, CAAP will work to expand diaper distribution services at nine agencies and establish programs at five new organizations, serving more than 2,000 children throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.

The Community Action Association of Pennsylvania will partner with:

• Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank and their existing partners:

o South Hills Interfaith Movement

o Latino Community Center

o UPMC Family Care Connection Center Turtle Creek

o Highlands Family Center of Allegheny County

o Northview Heights Family Support CenterHealthy Start’s Hello Baby Program

o Westmoreland Community Action

o Westmoreland Casemanagement and Supports, Inc.

o The PACT Program

• Five new partner organizations:

o Blueprints

o Community Action Partnership of Cambria County

o Fayette County Community Action Agency

o Indiana County Community Action Program

o Aliquippa Green

The Diaper Distribution Pilot, within HHS’ Office of Community Services (OCS), is awarding

$8.1 million to support seven new grant awards. Pennsylvania  is a part of the third cohort of grant recipients. With this award, the Diaper Distribution Pilot, which is the first-ever federally funded program for diaper assistance will now serve 18 states and three tribal nations, through more than $24M in grant awards. The Diaper Distribution Pilot helps caregivers with diaper need and connects families to wraparound social services to address the causes and consequences of poverty. 

For more information about these grants, visit the Diaper Distribution Pilot homepage.

For more information about OCS’s other anti-poverty programs, visit the OCS website or contact media@hhs.gov.

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