By Zo Terrana
Staff Writer
Trenton, the capital of New Jersey, has a long and storied history with the subject of poverty. The deindustrialization of the city coupled with economic instability of the current times have impacted families drastically.
The city’s youth have experienced hardships connected to this issue. Trenton’s children, who are unable to escape the suffocating grasp of poverty are forced to suffer in discarded areas out of sight from national news coverage. These communities and families, pushed into the shadows of the United States’s national image, develop generational poverty, furthering the nation's long battle with this issue.
However, local Trenton based organizations like The Maker’s Place have filled the gap where families are struggling. The Maker’s Place, founded in 2018 operates within the local Trenton community to serve low-income families in need of vital baby materials such as diapers. The diaper bank was established as a faith-based nonprofit organization sponsored by the United Methodists of Greater New Jersey to help bridge low-income families out of poverty.
Callie Crowder, the executive director of The Maker’s Place, is a leading voice within the organization to empower and assist impoverished families needing a hand up in desperate times. With the help of volunteers from the College, The Maker’s Place has been a key life line for struggling families over the past years. The organization continues to provide assistance with various grass roots programs and initiatives.
“One in two families across the nation cannot afford the diapers that they need and have attested to not being able to afford the number of diapers they truly need to keep their children clean, dry and healthy,” Crowder said.
As a mom of two, Crowder understood the need and the expense that diapers represent to a mother. These materials are vital in a baby's overall health and hygiene. In understanding the economic plight of local communities, The Maker’s Place does not use income verification when working with families.
“There's a need and there is something that we are doing to help you move forward in your life, that's what we're about here at The Maker’s Place,” Crowder said.
“On average, infants need their diapers changed 10 to 12 times a day, toddlers need to be changed 6 to 8 times. With diapers being priced at 20 to 30 cents each, parents spend approximately $18 a week just on diapers. With the additional costs of wipes, formula, child care, clothes, food and baby gear, parents are often faced with impossible financial decisions,” according to an Advocates for Children of New Jersey report.
The Maker’s Place has addressed this issue in Trenton, a city with an already high poverty level where one in three families live below the poverty line, according to Crowder. Federal programs have let diapers, the integral item for any mother, slip through the cracks.
“There’s programs for women, infants and to ensure that these babies come into the world healthy and moms have what they need, but none of these programs cover diapers,” Crowder said.
Diapers haven't been the lone item families are in need of. The organization has expanded access to various other family materials like baby clothing and baby formula. The Maker’s Place, in ensuring the quality of the clothes, inspects the clothing items they are receiving. These baby outfits are then transferred to their local families in proper condition.
“My experience volunteering at The Maker’s Place has been fun and personally rewarding,” Rosa Chang, a junior marketing major said. “My favorite part has been curating and bagging baby outfits for families in need by sorting through donated clothes. As a first-generation student coming from a low-income family that once relied on services just like the ones The Maker’s Place provides, it was truly heartfelt to get a chance to give back to the local community.”
Students at the College have volunteered at organizations like The Maker’s Place through the Bonner Program. The program, according to the College, is “to provide diverse low-income, under-represented, and first generation students with the opportunity to attend college, while engaging their talents and education in building and supporting communities.”
Crowder has worked extensively with the College’s student volunteers during the day-to-day operations with the organization.
“The day-to-day activities at Maker’s Place consist of two aspects, physical operations and digital planning,” Chang said. “Ms. Crowder and her team work in collaboration to create graphics, recruit/manage volunteers, give tours of the facility, write letters/newsletters, create budgets, and take Zoom meetings with donors/stakeholders.”
Students participate in the physical aspect such as moving diaper boxes, organizing baby supplies and bagging necessary items for families.
“It truly takes a village to run the organization, but everyone who shows up makes a difference in helping babies and their families from the surrounding communities,” Chang said.
The Maker’s Place has begun a new program focusing on child education. The Maker’s Place book program aims to put new books in low-income homes for children as a new program initiative. These free, early childhood books can be requested at The Maker’s Place website and assist struggling families with promoting child literacy in households across Trenton.
Lower income children suffering from systemic issues like generational poverty show higher levels of illiteracy, vastly hindering the child’s future economic standing in society.
“The children of parents with low literacy levels have a 72% chance of being at the lowest level of literacy when they become adults, creating a cycle of illiteracy and poverty that can span generations,” according to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
As for the future of Trenton’s poverty issue with lower income families, Crowder said she has signs of worry based on recent economic trends and observations.
“Our economy is designed in a way that makes basics like diapers unaffordable for many families,” Crowder said. “There are all kinds of systemic issues impacting what we're seeing in the city of Trenton right now.”
However in the midst of this ever-so-lasting issue of systemic poverty, Crowder, while leading The Maker’s Place, has seen acts of kindness in a community ravaged with economic disparities. Acts of compassion that break through barriers of selfishness and greed. In an impoverished city like Trenton, these community leaders shine bright where families may see only their darker circumstances.
“Its almost like finding a flower in a dessert,” Crowder said. “Don’t underestimate the power of humanity, love and hope. Don't underestimate the power of good even though all these bad things are happening.”
