Diaper Drive Brings Compassion, One Box at a Time
Story by Jim Tierney
The idea did not begin in a church hall, but in a town conversation.
While living in West Hartford, Deacon Keith Griffin learned local agencies were quietly collecting diapers for families that could not afford them. When he was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate in June 2023 and assigned to Christ the King Parish in Wethersfield, the thought stayed with him. Why not here?
Christ the King Parish, comprising Church of the Incarnation, Corpus Christi and Sacred Heart, already had a strong social action committee. Parishioners were supporting a health clinic in Honduras and the work of Father Rick Frechette in Haiti. A diaper drive would be practical, immediate and local, Deacon Griffin notes.
“Diapers are an expensive necessity,” he says. “People shouldn’t have to choose between food and diapers. An average monthly supply costs $80 to more than $100. Clean diapers are a basic need for every baby and toddler.”
For families relying on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, that money must also cover rent, heat, electricity, food and transportation, Deacon Griffin adds. Diapers alone can consume up to 12% of those benefits.
The first diaper drive was held in January 2024, around Three Kings Day. Parishioners responded with open hands. More than 800 diapers were collected. That generosity has continued, twice each year — once in January and again on Mother’s Day weekend. The next Deacon’s Diaper Drive will be held May 9 and 10 at all Masses.
“The main goal for the drive is to lend a helping hand to families,” Deacon Griffin explains. “We deliver diapers to groups to distribute. We don’t know directly how many families we are accommodating. The main goal is to collect as many as possible to help as many as possible.”
Before the May 2024 collection, social action committee member Vin Cannamela contacted Corpus Christi School. Principal Ann Sarpu offered a simple incentive: a dress-down day for students who brought diapers, wipes or ointments. The children came through. Nearly 40% of the items collected each year now come from the school.
On collection day, the students form a bucket brigade, passing boxes hand to hand from the school building to adjacent Corpus Christi Church. It is a small parade of charity — sneakers squeaking, cardboard shifting, children grinning as they carry what many take for granted.
The parish does not distribute directly but delivers the diapers to those who manage the need: the Town of Wethersfield Social Services Department, Maria Reina de la Paz Parish in Hartford, Undercover New England, Hartford Deportation Defense, and Birthright. At the request of partner groups, the drive now also includes disposable undergarments for adults.
Deacon Griffin summarizes the broader community message from Matthew 25:45, when Jesus says that whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.
For questions or more information about the diaper drive, email Deacon Griffin at deaconkeithCTK@gmail.com.