CARTERVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A Carterville-based nonprofit has been providing nearly 1,500 diapers a month to low-income families in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Got You Covered Diaper Program has distributed more than 12,000 diapers in the first half of 2020 — about 40% more than last year, according to co-founder Evelyn Fuqua.

The pandemic has definitely fueled the need for more diapers, because more families are facing hardship than ever before, Fuqua said. She said she campaigns for diaper donations through Facebook.

Fuqua, a former Crainville mayor and councilwoman, said she and co-founder Michelle Parker-Clark formed Got You Covered in 2018 after noticing a need while volunteering at a homeless shelter. Some parents would return to the shelter asking for diapers to help get them through the night or a week.

“We thought, ‘There’s got to be a better way,’” she told The Southern Illinoisan. There are a few other area organizations that help with diapers, but Fuqua said they generally have limited hours and more demand than they can meet.

According to the National Diaper Bank Network, one in three families struggles to buy clean diapers for their baby. The organization estimates it costs about $80 a month on average to keep one baby in diapers.

Fuqua said her organization tries to make it as convenient as possible for families to obtain diapers. Parents can pick them up at any of the established locations at a time convenient for them.

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