Not being able to afford enough diapers is a barrier to stability and self-sufficiency for families. Without diapers, babies cannot participate in early childhood education. Without childcare, parents cannot go to work.

Eastside Baby Corner’s Diaper Derby is a competitive race of collecting diapers for babies living in poverty or crisis. Twenty-six local businesses are competing in the third annual event, running through June 10.

“Eastside Baby Corner is helping kids beat the odds by giving them what they need for a healthy start in life, and parents what they need to take care of their family,” said Eastside Baby Corner Communications Specialist Tricia Barry.

The basic necessities that Eastside Baby Corner provides go to schools, human service agencies, food banks and hospitals so that families can become stable, safe, housed, fed and employed.

“Last year’s Diaper Derby brought in almost 55,000 diapers, so we would love to be able to collect even more diapers this year so that we can provide these to babies that may not normally have access to them,” Barry said.

The businesses will compete to see who can collect the most diapers for Eastside Baby Corner. The diapers collected count as points, and points are used to advance the business’s “horse” along the track.

The community is able to help its favorite business win the competition by bringing a donation of diapers, pull-ups or overnights to any participating place of business throughout the competition.

For more information and a complete list of participating businesses, visit www.babycorner.org/diaper-derby.