New diaper bank to help parents.
ESKASONI — When Amanda Francis brought her new baby girl Mazelynn Julian home from the hospital last Saturday, she got a call from Sophia Basque-Denny and soon after, a package of diapers was delivered to her doorstep.
“It really helps, it helped me out and I really appreciate it. (Diapers) are so expensive,” she said.
Francis and her partner, Cyril Julian, have two other small children, and now two in diapers, which she said adds up quickly.
“When you’re on a budget or on welfare it makes it really difficult to try to juggle (diapers) and milk. Supplies are limited. So this will help a lot of people in our reserve. I’m happy they’re doing it.”
The delivery is part of Basque-Denny’s plan to help new parents. She set up a diaper and formula bank, much like a food bank, in a temporary location at the former health centre in Eskasoni, but through a partnership with the Eskasoni Health Centre, she will soon move it into the new health centre building with the 24-hour crisis centre so that parents can access it any time.
“So, just in case someone has an emergency in the middle of the night, someone needs something, they can go there,” she said.
The mother of seven gave birth to her first baby at 14 years old and remembers the struggle of being a single teenaged mother, but also has a 10-month-old baby, so she knows that even with a partner it can be a financial challenge.
“It’s still a lot of money for (diapers) and milk to start off with, so I just want to help new mothers to show them that I care and I’m trying to support them in some way,” she said.
Basque-Denny is partnering with her friend and fellow newly-elected councillor Starr Paul to ensure every new mother receives a package of diapers. The diaper and formula bank is intended to be used for emergencies if someone runs out of supplies in the middle of the night or doesn’t have transportation or the money to pick up more.
The women had the diaper and formula bank up and running before they were sworn in as councillors of Eskasoni First Nation on Wednesday night, fulfilling one of Basque-Denny’s election promises.
They’ve purchased over two dozen packs of diapers and a few cases of formula using their own money and have also accepted donations from local businesses and community members since posting about their initiative on social media. They even received donations from a store in Afton on mainland Nova Scotia.
Basque-Denny said she hopes to expand to also have an emergency supply of menstrual products soon and currently has a volunteer to sanitize all the products before delivering them in paper bags.
She said people can contact her on Facebook to request supplies or get more information.