KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — The warehouse at Helping Mamas Knoxville is large, organized and full of supplies like diapers, formula and tampons. It's all for families who need some help.
Executive Director Tess Frear, and volunteer Connie Boyd, said the need for the nonprofit's services has been increasing, and they aren't the only ones.
Starting on Aug. 7, TennCare recipients will be able to get 100 free diapers, paid for by the state's Strong Families Grant Program. The benefit is the first of its kind in the country and allows parents to go to local pharmacies and pick up brand-name diapers without a prescription.
TennCare said on its website that a list of participating pharmacies will be posted on Aug. 7.
WBIR reached out to both CVS and Walgreens earlier this week to see if either company would be be participating in the free diaper program. WBIR has not received a response as of 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
Frear said she's seeing the need for nonprofit services increase as prices rise for products like baby and period products. The 100 diapers offered by the state will likely cover around a week's worth of diapers for parents, she said.
"They say (kids go through) about 80 (each week,) but I think all kids are different — depending if they're working on potty training or if they're sick. So, all kids are a little bit different," Frear said.
Access to diapers doesn't just ensure that parents have a stockpile if they need them. Clean diapers also keep kids healthy. Frear said daycares may also require young children to wear diapers.
"If your baby's sick and you leave them in their diapers longer, then they can get infection, then it means you're going to their doctor," she said. "Then you're spending more funds that could go to your light bill and pay for your car — just little things like that can throw people off."
In 2023, the Tennessee General Assembly approved an initiative from Governor Bill Lee to create a grant program providing access to maternal healthcare and resources for families — the Strong Families Grant Program. The Division of TennCare said part of that initiative was to provide diapers to families across the state.
The program already provides diapers and incontinence products for people with conditions requiring them.
"Enhancing TennCare and CoverKids coverage of diapers supports families with infants by ensuring a monthly supply of up to 100 diapers, and therefore preventing avoidable health care use and improving overall infant health," the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a letter to the state.
The CMMS approved the TennCare benefit on May 17 and the letter also said the changes would be effective through Dec. 31, 2030. The centers also approved an expansion of TennCare eligibility for parents and caretaker relatives of dependent children, as well as enhancements to home and community-based services available to people with disabilities, going into effect on June 1.
Low-income parents and caretaker relatives will be eligible for TennCare benefits as long as their income is up to 100% of the federal poverty level, the letter said. Before the change, the requirement was based on a different income standard.
Boyd, who's a retired teacher and a volunteer with Helping Mamas, said she's always surprised by how many people depend on the nonprofit.
"I am shocked when I come in, I'm shocked at the amount that people have donated, that needs to be sorted and put up for donations," Boyd said. "And then, there are tables of orders going out that people have requested. It's just unbelievable how much there is to come out to every time, every week."