Why a Baby Cupboard

Poor is poor!

Many people believe that child poverty is only seen in developing nations, yet Canada, one of the richest countries in the world, has some one and a half million children living in poverty.  The most severely affected are those that live in single parent homes and those of aboriginal heritage. Some 80% of single mothers with children under the age of 7 live in poverty. Not only are these children poor, but they are caught up in a cycle of poverty that is almost impossible to escape. Those seeking help at food banks and going without often come from the working poor and those on welfare.

When a poor family has one or more babies using diapers and formula, this additional cost can be overwhelming. Diapers are expensive. Most babies go through 8-12 diapers per day in their first few weeks and months of life, with an average cost that can exceed $100 a month while the baby is small. Babies stay in diapers, on average, for more than two years, and many families have two or even three babies using diapers at the same time, with a cost of about $2,000 per child until they are toilet trained! Formula is also expensive, and the cost of formula feeding a baby with formula for a year is in the vicinity of  $1,000. Many poor families run out of formula or diapers or both before their check comes at the last of the month. This can be a frightening experience for the caretaker, and a very uncomfortable and risky one for the baby. JSM is conscious of the needs in the community, and the Baby Cupboard is an effort to respond to these parents when they are experiencing this one particular crisis.