With costs up, five LA County libraries give out free diapers, feminine hygiene products

Jessica Soto cradled her fidgety 1 1/2-year-old daughter as she spoke about picking up free diapers and feminine hygiene products at the Los Angeles County library in Baldwin Park on Friday, Oct. 28.

The 32-year-old mother of two was furloughed from her job as an aquatics director at the start of the pandemic. Now, like other moms, she’s struggling to afford products that have risen in cost due to inflation but are essential for women and new mothers.

She’s grateful for the new county pilot program that began on Friday to provide free diapers, baby wipes and menstrual products at five county libraries.

“I am really happy to see this program and watch it grow,” said Soto. “For feminine hygiene products, the prices have skyrocketed. And when the pandemic hit, you couldn’t find them on the shelves. The library is a place where people can come (and obtain these products) with no judgment.”

The Los Angeles County Library launched the program at its libraries in Baldwin Park, Willowbrook, San Fernando, Pico Rivera and Lancaster. The free diapers, sizes 1-6, and menstrual products, are available to those who participate in library programs or who merely ask for them at the information or circulation desk, said Karol Sarkisyan, spokesperson for the county library, in an email.

Bags were flying off the Baldwin Park branch library checkout desk Friday morning, as dozens of participants stopped in.

“I got diapers. It is always good to have that extra helping hand,” said Katherine, a Baldwin Park mother of four, two of whom are still in diapers. She declined to give her last name, but added, “Every little bit helps.”

Crystal, of Baldwin Park and unwilling to give her last name, also picked up a bag of diapers Friday. She said it is always on her mind as to whether she can afford to buy enough diapers for her son, who is 3 years old and has special needs. “They are expensive. They are like $30 a box or more,” she said.

Soto, who now teaches child-parent classes for the city of Baldwin Park, said many moms and teenagers are embarrassed to pick up free items because of the stigma. “They feel some may look at them and think, ‘You had a kid, but now you can’t afford diapers?’ ” she said.

At the program’s kickoff in Baldwin Park, First District Supervisor Hilda Solis, who initiated the program with the libraries, said libraries chosen for free distribution are in communities with high poverty rates. She said teenagers from low-income families who cannot afford sanitary pads and tampons often stay home during their periods.

“Some young girls who don’t have these products — they won’t go to school. They will stay home. So they are missing out on educational opportunities,” Solis said.

Froilan Mendoza, superintendent of the Baldwin Park Unified School District, said that by providing these products for free, young girls can concentrate on schooling. Of the 10,000 students in the district, 9,000 are eligible for free or reduced lunches, he said.

“Too many have to choose between putting food on the table or purchasing these hygiene products,” he said. Solis said that by having access to free diapers and menstrual products, a family can save between $1,000 and $2,000 a year.

According to the last county homeless count, 1,448 women were homeless in Baldwin Park. And of those residents living below the poverty line, 20% are women, Solis said.

The county is partnering with a Culver City-based nonprofit, Baby2Baby, which is providing the items to the five libraries. Baby2Baby has provided 270 million items to children in homeless shelters, foster care, hospitals, schools and to those who lost everything in a natural disaster during the past 11 years, said Baby2Baby’s Norah Weinstein, a co-chief executive officer of the nonprofit.

“Every time you ask a family what they need, the first answer is diapers,” Weinstein said. “With diaper prices now at an all-time high, this partnership is an absolutely perfect time to help families we serve.” Nationwide, one out of three families struggle to afford diapers for their children, she said.

Menstrual products have been provided free to residents by the state, community colleges and the city of Los Angeles. The County Library is doing the same, with the addition of diapers and wipes.

“I hope we will expand this and get to all of our libraries. But this is our first step. And it isn’t a baby step, it is a big step,” Solis said.