Zion Lutheran kicks off diaper pantry ministry

Zion Lutheran church sought a way to fill a need in its community. It found a big need among the smallest of them.

Friday evening, volunteers sorted, wrapped and labeled diapers in preparation for the first distribution of diapers to families from the church’s diaper pantry on Saturday.

“There are three food banks in town that feed 300 families. We don’t need a fourth,” said George Taylor, a church member who is coordinating the diaper pantry effort. “We wanted to complement that effort and found this opportunity after some research.”

On the opening day of its diaper exchange, the church will have served 25 families with 50 diapers each plus one pack of baby wipes. Orders were placed by families and indicated the size or sizes needed. Church volunteers then secured diapers from the Greater Philadelphia Diaper Bank, an organization formed in 2011 that has since distributed more than 2 million diapers to homeless shelters, food pantries, family service agencies and faith-based organizations.

Volunteers from the church drove to Easton to pick up the diapers.

“Diapers are expensive, and they are the one thing that government programs don’t cover,” Taylor said. “It’s also a great way to get parishioners involved in our outreach.”

Families who would like to take advantage of the service should call or email Zion Lutheran Church. Families need only prove that they are residents of the Tamaqua Area School District and provide the birth certificate for the child in need of diapers.

Pastor Cindy White credited the church’s outreach group for the idea.

“They come up with the ideas and we pray for and support the great ideas they come up with,” she said. “We are called by Jesus to reach out and not to be insular. We are called to reach out to and help the community, and this is one way we are doing that.”