A sharp rise in the price of diapers is making it very difficult for many parents to afford this basic necessity for their babies, but help is on the way.

Today starts National National Diaper Need Awareness Week to help parents struggling to pay for those essential items.

A diaper drive is being held today at the Junior League of Long Island Thrift Shop in Roslyn from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. It's one of the efforts underway to help families struggling to provide diapers for their children.

Cynthia Rainey, of Hempstead, spends about $100 a week to buy diapers for her two granddaughters, 2-year-old Asara and 1-year-old Na Na.

“When you're buying a pack of Pampers every day because it's two of them…that gets expensive,” she says. 

According to the National Diaper Bank, about one in three U.S. families lack enough diapers to keep a baby clean, dry and healthy.

Nyteeyia Waiters, an outreach worker in Hempstead, says diapers are so expensive that some parents have to make tough choices.

“I have parents that call me on their last diaper, crying,” she says. “A lot of parents out here are struggling and daily they have to make a choice, are they going to buy Pampers or are they going to buy the proper food for their children.”

Government assistance programs like SNAP and WIC do not cover diapers. That's why local diaper banks and volunteers are stepping in to fill the gap.

“Not having enough diapers really is a public health crisis,” Waiters says. 

To kick off National Diaper Need Awareness week, Allied Foundation announced there will be diaper distribution events in Roslyn, Patchogue and Hempstead in the coming days.

Parents will be able to get diapers and baby wipes for free.

“Our work is really important to make sure babies have access to clean diapers. Their health is really important as they are our future,” says Heather Edwards, of the Allied Foundation.

The diaper drive in Roslyn runs from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

For more information on Allied Foundation’s efforts, visit their website and Facebook page.