AILSA CHANG, HOST: When it comes to volunteering, every organization has people they can always depend on to show up and tackle any task. For our series Here to Help, Rachel Keith, with member Station WHQR, reports on a retired nurse who found her volunteer niche.
RACHEL KEITH: Doris Robinson has a lot of experience with packing diapers. She comes to the Diaper Bank of North Carolina, Lower Cape Fear, every Wednesday.
DORIS ROBINSON: You do a lot of pushing and pulling with the plastic wrap, but that's what keeps the diapers bound up. Even though it looks kind of chaotic, there is a (laughter) method to the madness.
KEITH: Robinson worked as a nurse for 40 years. She was called to maternal health from the very beginning.
ROBINSON: In my earlier years, I did emergency department nursing, and I was always drawn to the mothers and babies.
KEITH: And drawn to helping moms with prenatal care.
ROBINSON: Encouraging folks to take folic acid, to not smoke while they're pregnant.
KEITH: And because Robinson had a nursing career, she understands the importance of this work, says Julie Bowling, the branch director here.
JULIE BOWLING: So she saw firsthand the impact of not having diapers and how that, you know, affects families and children and caregivers wanting to do the best that they can for their kids, but the dollars aren't just going far enough.
KEITH: That's where diaper banks come in. They get some donations from individuals, but mostly their supplies are bought in bulk. The Urban Institute says about 8 million U.S. children live in families that struggle to afford diapers. Robinson has seen the need in her community.
ROBINSON: I know a lot of people make assumptions about folks that receive any kind of extra benefits, but I would (laughter), I guess, ask them to walk in their shoes. 'Cause it's a different life when you really are in need and trying to make decisions on what you can spend your precious money on.
KEITH: It can cost up to $100 a month to diaper a baby. There are no federal government programs that subsidize diapers.
ROBINSON: These products are so expensive, and this just helps get people what they need with dignity.
KEITH: Bowling met Robinson for the first time three years ago at a talk she was giving. Robinson told her afterwards that she would show up at the diaper bank warehouse right after retiring.
BOWLING: I mean, it was literally like the next week. I was like, did you want to take a minute in retirement? She was here, like, immediately.
KEITH: And Robinson kept showing up since then.
BOWLING: She's here pretty much every single week. Like, I - only time she's not here is if she's sick or, you know, traveling so (laughter).
KEITH: That consistency in volunteering has become critical for Bowling.
BOWLING: To be able to walk over to somebody and say, hey, I need you to do this for this agency or pack this order in this way, and that they can just run with it, and I can then pivot to something else is invaluable.
KEITH: Robinson is that person for her, a reliable and consistent volunteer. For NPR News, I'm Rachel Keith in Wilmington, North Carolina.
