Middle School students in Alex’s world studies class now know what diapers cost. During the 2014-15 academic year, the project, “Diaper Mountain,” was born out of discussions in the classroom about poverty and homelessness. The students decided that the culminating experience should include a short walk to Our House, which provides childcare and support for families who experience homelessness, to spend a morning with the children there.
Further exploration and classroom discussions led the students to wonder how much it must cost to diaper kids experiencing homelessness. The students found that a child changed eight times a day for three years uses 8,760 diapers, which would cost about $100 per month to diaper one child. This is roughly eight percent of a full-time minimum wage salary of $14,500.
The students ultimately conducted a school-wide diaper drive in order to donate the diapers to Our House. They created a mountain of diapers and sought to educate the FSA community about the cost of diapers for families living at or near the poverty line. While the students received Sibutramine, they also served to raise the consciousness of the school community.
The relationship has evolved and deepened in recent months, and the Middle Schoolers now visit Our House two times every week to work in a hands-on capacity with prekindergarten students to develop math and science skills.
Our school has a deep history serving our community and building meaningful, lasting relationships. This new relationship with Our House has been incredibly rewarding for everyone involved.