KANSAS CITY, Kan. — One in three families across the country can’t access diapers for their children.

It’s an alarming statistic impacting parents locally, and now two moms are working to spread awareness about the issue.

“It breaks your heart,” Co-Founder of The Matrescence Megan Dalton said.

Dalton and Lauren Hays are Co-founders of the mental health company The Matrescense. They provide resources for moms and raise awareness about issues impacting families.

“You can imagine it’s a ripple effect if you don’t have the assistance in getting the diapers, you can’t send your children to childcare, then you’re missing out on work and pediatric appointments,” Dalton said.

She says caregivers who don’t have access to diapers are twice as likely to suffer from depression and other mental health issues.

Hays, a mother herself, says the cost of diapers has inflated over the past couple of years and now makes up ten percent of a family’s income.

“Families are having to choose between access to those clean, dry diapers for their babies and the water bill, or the electricity bill, and no momma or family should have to make that decision,” Hays said.

They held a diaper drive on Saturday in partnership with Happy Bottoms. a local non-profit that helps alleviate the diaper need for low-income families in the community.

“And it’s crossed my mind before just because they’re so expensive,” mom Christine Vega said after donating diapers. “I can’t imagine not being without it, without supplies for this little guy.”

Dalton says closing the gap in diaper access isn’t just beneficial for children, it also has a positive impact on the entire family.

“If you can take one of those stressors away, then that helps you enjoy your kiddos more and motherhood and then your children are also having happier lives too,” Dalton said.

If you weren’t able to make Saturday’s diaper drive, you can support Happy Bottoms online and through volunteering.