Annual Sudbury Diaper Drive aims for 1,000 case goal with community support

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Pure Country diaper drive supports hundreds of Sudbury-area families

Pure Country 91.7's annual Diaper Drive returns

Pure Country Diaper Drive returns to support Sudbury's Pregnancy Care Centre

Pure Country hosts final day of Diaper Drive at New Sudbury Centre

UPDATE:

Sudbury radio station diaper drive near goal after cold outdoor broadcast

A local radio station’s campaign for a pregnancy support charity is more than halfway to its goal following a day-long outdoor broadcast.

Pure Country 91.7’s Afternoon Drive host Matt Brown hosted a live broadcast from the New Sudbury Centre parking lot on Wednesday to collect donations for the Pregnancy Care Centre & Infant Food Bank.

Cold but successful day

The on-location event, which solicited donations of diapers, wipes, and money, lasted seven hours in frigid conditions.

Brown described it as a “great day” despite the temperature in a social media post.

“After today’s 7-hour broadcast in that dry, cold weather, we can officially say we are a little over halfway towards our goal of collecting 1,000 cases by the end of the week,” he said.

The campaign continues to aim for its goal of gathering 1,000 cases of diapers this week.

Final push Friday

The station has scheduled a final broadcast to conclude the 8th annual Diaper Drive. Morning show hosts Josh and Coop will be on location at the same site for the event’s finale.

That broadcast is set for Friday from 5:30 a.m. to noon.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A Sudbury radio station and a local support centre are preparing for their eighth annual holiday diaper drive, with collection events scheduled all week.

The Diaper Drive-By, organized by Sudbury’s Pure Country 91.7 in support of the Pregnancy Care Centre & Infant Food Bank, will set up a donation tent in the New Sudbury Centre parking lot on three days, starting Monday morning with morning hosts Josh and Coop. On Wednesday afternoon, Matt Brown will take over before the final morning on Friday when Josh and Coop return.

Growth of a holiday tradition

The drive has seen significant growth since its modest beginning.

“In 2018, it was nearing winter and we saw that the Pregnancy Care Centre was looking for donations and were in need of some assistance from the public,” said Bryan ‘Coop’ Cooper.

“We proposed the idea, ‘Why don’t we try a diaper drive with our listeners for the Centre?’ So we did and we proudly collected about 60 cases in year number one.”

The following year, donations surged to 200 cases.

Drive-by concept born from pandemic

The event has become a community staple, but its current format originated from a pandemic-era adaptation.

“In year number three, we entered the uncertainties of Covid, and were unable to collect donations at the radio station,” said Coop, providing more history of the event.

In a random conversation between Coop and his mom, she actually suggested, “Why don’t you do a diaper drive-by in a parking lot instead? That way people can just come to you & drop off their donations safely that way.’”

That suggestion proved successful. The first parking lot event in 2021 collected 400 cases of diapers.

After partnering with Shoppers Drug Mart in its fifth year, the drive collected just over 1,000 cases.

“This event/initiative has become a staple for many in (the Sudbury) community around Christmas time and we are honoured to help bring awareness (& lots of donations) to the amazing work the Pregnancy Care Centre does,” Coop said.

How to Donate

This year’s goal is to collect 1,000 cases of diapers, with a particular need for sizes 4, 5, and 6.

The main drop-off events will be held at the New Sudbury Centre parking lot at 1349 LaSalle Boulevard on Dec. 8 from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m., Dec. 10 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., and for a finale drop-off on Dec. 12 from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m.

“We are freezing for a reason,” Coop told CTV News live from the event on Monday.

For those unable to attend, donations can be dropped off at all Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Sudbury, as well as at several other local businesses. Pass It On Undercoating at 875 Notre Dame Avenue, Unit 302, Gem Sewing at 2141 Lasalle Boulevard and Health Tweak at 1322 Martindale Road are all accepting Diaper Drive Locations.

Monetary donations can also be made directly to the Pregnancy Care Centre at 1032 Lasalle Boulevard on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. (tell them it is for the Diaper Drive-by) or online.

For more information on the Pregnancy Care Centre & Infant Food Bank, visit their website.

Sudbury Pure Country 91.7 and CTV News Northern Ontario are both divisions of Bell Media