'Not a want but a need:' Milwaukee Diaper Mission holds collection event at Fiserv Forum Sunday
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It's been six days since the Milwaukee Diaper Mission (MDM) kicked off their annual two-week "BIG Give Back" and they need *your* help reaching their $50,000 dollar goal by this upcoming Friday.
Right now, they're a little more than one-fifth of the way there.
To help drum up excitement about the fundraiser, the organization held a diaper collection event outside of Fiserv Forum on Sunday, Oct. 29, ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks game versus the Atlanta Hawks.
“We know that one in two families in the United States struggle to afford diapers and we know that families just a mile from Fiserv forum are struggling to afford diapers, so this need is real across the country and here in Milwaukee," said MDM Executive Director Meagan Johnson. “Even if people only have a dollar or two to give it really does go a long way and that’s going to help support so many families in Milwaukee.”
MDM serves thousands of families annually, helping parents and children in our local community.
“It helps them go to school, it helps them go to work, it helps them be able to better care for their children so the work that we do is crucial for supporting Milwaukee families and we’re so grateful to be able to do it," Johnson told CBS 58, who is the official media partner of the fundraiser this year.
The organization partnered with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and his fiancée Mariah Riddlesprigger, who recently welcomed the couple's third child.
“Becoming a mom, you realize how important it is and how blessed you are to be able to afford them and I just want to help bless other moms and families and dads and give them that need without having to worry," Riddlesprigger said. "It's not a want, it's a need."
Riddlesprigger, who was at Sunday's event, met with MDM volunteers like Karen Waldkirch who has a personal tie to the mission.
“Last year they suggested people do their own online donation drives," Waldkirch said. "So, I did one in honor of my mom, whose name is Lola. She passed away in March and one of her first jobs was working at a diaper factory, and so I just thought it’d be appropriate to do a drive. We were able to raise over $1,500 dollars in her name.”
Waldkirch, who held signs and spent hours encouraging Bucks fans to donate online, said she was honored to help out in an area she thinks people can "overlook."
"I think people just assume that everyone can afford diapers," Waldkirch said. “I went out and I bought some diapers on behalf of people who had donated money, I couldn’t believe how much diapers cost.”
The fundraiser runs through Nov. 3.
If you want to donate online, click here.
The Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation (CAFF) will match up to $50,000 dollars raised.
“All it takes is five dollars and enough people that donate five dollars, donate a bag of diapers, a pack of diapers, some wipes... all that matters is whatever you can give," Riddlesprigger said. “For people to have the heart to give back with hard times and to still see people willing to give and willing to support is amazing, so I’m very appreciative of that.”
You can also donate diapers or dollars in person at nine different Pick 'n Save locations across the Milwaukee area until Oct. 31.
- Pick ‘n Save - Midtown
5700 W Capitol Drive Milwaukee, WI 53216 - Metro Market - Van Buren
1123 N Van Buren Street Milwaukee, WI 53202 - Pick ‘n Save- Bluemound East
8151 W Bluemound Road Milwaukee, WI 53213 - Pick ‘n Save - Good Hope
7401 W Good Hope Road Milwaukee, WI 53223 - Pick ‘n Save - Loomis
3701 S 27th Street Milwaukee, WI 53221 - Pick ‘n Save - East Pointe
605 E Lyon Street Milwaukee, WI 53202 - Pick ‘n Save - Holt
250 W Holt Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53207 - Pick ‘n Save - 35th & North
2355 N 35th Street Milwaukee, WI 53210 - Pick ‘n Save - Garfield
1100 E Garfield Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53212