Laradon FIT receives additional $4,000 to help families needing diapers and wipes
Even in the best of times, diapers and baby wipes can be a big expense for families. The past year, with supply shortages and economic distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been anything but the best of times for many families.
Laradon, a Rocky Mountain Human Services (RMHS) Mill Levy partner, quickly adapted its services to help families in need receive basic baby care supplies through its Family, Infant and Toddler (FIT) Program.
The generous support of Denver taxpayers allowed RMHS to put $4,000 in mill levy funds toward the effort. RMHS administers a variety of mill levy property tax-funded services and supports for Denver residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“A lot of families are having a hard time financially right now,” said Perla Manquero, FIT family navigator. “Diapers and wipes are expensive.”
The Laradon FIT program provides additional support to children with special needs and their families by connecting them to resources and financial assistance. With the additional support FIT received from the Mill Levy program, the organization will be able to support families with diapers and wipes for their children for the next two months.
“These days there are resources for diapers and wipes all over, but many families do not have a means of getting there,” Perla said.
Transportation has been among the top issues for families struggling to access resources in the community. Perla finds many families cannot travel far due to the lack of transportation which blocks their access to many resources in the community.
In order to mitigate that obstacle, Laradon FIT delivers boxes of supplies to families to simplify access to the resources.
Perla has received more requests than usual in the last couple of months for diapers, food, rent, Medicaid help and more.
To provide additional support, FIT has adapted its mill levy funding to offer supplies to support families in winter. The packages include clothes for infants, hygiene products, cleaning supplies and an activity for the family that will include a recipe and supplies to create homemade play dough.
The packages supply families with basic supplies in a difficult time.
As Laradon FIT continues to help families navigate resources in the community, they hope to share a helping hand to families in the coming months.
To learn more about other Denver mill levy funded initiatives in the community visit, www.rmhumanservices.org/ml.
