Acting Mayor Kim Janey joined union leaders under the blue awning of the Boston Teachers Union for a diaper donation drive on Wednesday, cooling off with an ice cream bar and thanking community childcare workers for doing “life-changing and life-giving work.”

“We know how difficult the pandemic has been, particularly on moms, who are often the sole caretakers and heads of their households,” said Janey. “These diapers for young, single mothers are like gold, this work is so important.”

Deborah Hughes, CEO of Brookview House, joined Lombos, McCluskey, and Mayor Janey. Rebeca Pereira photo

The event – which was sponsored by local organizations like Mujeres Unidas Avanzando and the Greater Boston Labor Council – collected toys, wipes, and diapers to benefit the Brookview House, a nonprofit serving women and children facing homelessness. The agency provides affordable housing, domestic violence relief, and youth support services to over 350 Dorchester and Roxbury residents yearly.

“We help women experiencing homelessness lift their children out of homelessness – it’s about providing education, training, and jobs for women experiencing homelessness,” said Brookview CEO Deborah Hughes.

“COVID-19 has been tough for [Brookview], and we desperately need all of these donations," said Hughes.

Care That Works, a coalition of community-based organizations and labor unions convened by Boston-based Community Labor United (CLU), was also a co-sponsor for the drive, helping to organize the event and fielding donations from local unions.

Acting Mayor Kim Janey posed for a picture with diaper drive attendees. Rebeca Pereira photo

Lindsay McCluskey, CLU’s Deputy Director, spoke to the structural barriers facing working-class families and said “the diapers and supplies that are here behind us are hugely important for moms to be able to care for their kids, but we also know we need a better childcare system for moms to be able to depend on.”

Janey also highlighted the need for expanded infrastructure around childcare and family support, pointing to her administration’s $50 million rental relief program as a source of stability for Bostonians facing unemployment and eviction.

Janey, who faced food and housing insecurity as a child, told the Reporter that “having grown up in this city and not always having the things that we needed, I know these issues personally. Housing continues to be a challenge in our city, and this fund has already helped so many
families.”

“COVID-19 has exposed and exacerbated the inequities that were already here, and, first and foremost, we’re making sure that our residents are well served,” she said.