A Diaper Need Awareness Week, and a Standing Way to Get Help in Between

If a family in Boone County is stretched thin this month, diapers are one of those costs that don’t wait — and there’s a nonprofit built specifically to close that gap. First Chance for Children, marking 20 years of work in Columbia this year, runs a standing diaper-assistance program that any family with a need can reach into year-round, not just during this week’s celebrations.

Who it’s for: Families in the Columbia, Ashland, and Centralia area facing diaper need.

How to start: Call First Chance for Children at 573-777-1815 ext. 204 to arrange a pickup or delivery from the Columbia office, or stop by one of the monthly community diaper drives:

• Ashland: third Tuesday of the month, 3–6 p.m., at Ashland Baptist Church
• Columbia: third Wednesday, noon–6 p.m., at First Chance for Children, 1002 Fay St.
• Columbia: third Thursday, 10 a.m.–noon, at Bear Creek Head Start
• Columbia: third Thursday, 2–5 p.m., at the Blind Boone Center
• Centralia: fourth Thursday, 9 a.m.–noon, at Lend and Learn North

Diapers also reach families through partner agencies, including Columbia Parents as Teachers and the Boone County Health Department.

This week happens to be a good time to notice the program exists: Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe has declared September 14–20 Diaper Need Awareness Week, and First Chance for Children is marking both the week and its own 20th anniversary with a run of public events. An open house and ribbon-cutting kicked things off Monday morning at the Fay Street office. Tuesday brings a diaper drive-thru and drop-off at the same address, 1 to 6 p.m., for anyone who wants to donate a package on their way through town. Wednesday is the big one — a 20th birthday bash at Logboat Brewery, 504 Fay St., starting at 4 p.m., with story time, face painting, tie-dye, sensory tables, cupcakes, and a truck the organization hopes the community fills with diaper donations. The week wraps Friday with a diaper wrapping marathon back at the Fay Street office, where volunteers sort and prepare donated diapers for distribution.

None of that changes what the organization does the other 51 weeks of the year: quietly keeping a basic need covered for families who ask.