Treasurer Stacy Garrity & NAST Raise More than $15,000 for Pennsylvania Families in Need
Treasurer Garrity joined the National Association of State Treasurers to help raise funds for the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank
UPDATE: The total collected was $17,100, enough to purchase 85,000 diapers. Also, the volunteers from NAST wrapped and tagged 11,350 diapers, which is a one-month supply for 227 families in need.
Pittsburgh, PA - Treasurer Stacy Garrity today, along with volunteers from the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST), visited the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank to help sort and package diapers. NAST raised more than $15,000 for the diaper bank as part of a service project in conjunction with this week’s NAST Treasury Management Training Symposium being held in Pittsburgh.
The money will enable the diaper bank to purchase approximately 70,000 diapers to distribute to families in need in Allegheny, Westmoreland, Fayette, Indiana, Cambria, Greene, Beaver and Washington counties.
“This is an amazing event, and I couldn’t be happier that volunteers from state treasuries across the country joined us today to help the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank. This organization does remarkable work, and it has a dramatic positive impact on thousands of families every year. Today’s event and the generosity of our donors will help children in western Pennsylvania grow up happy and healthy.”
Pennsylvania State Treasurer Stacy Garrity
“We are profoundly grateful to Treasurer Garrity and the National Association of State Treasurers for their incredible volunteer efforts and generosity. Their dedication raised $15,000 in support of the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank. This will make a significant impact in the lives of countless families we serve. Thank you for helping us raise awareness of this crisis and your commitment to our community.”
Cathy Battle, Executive Director of the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank
The fundraising event was organized by the NAST Corporate Affiliate Board as part of a new initiative to support a public service program at the location of a NAST conference event.
“The NAST Corporate Affiliates are honored to collaborate with Treasurer Garrity on this initiative to benefit the families, caregivers and children of Western Pennsylvania. By teaming up with the Treasurer today, we can make a lasting impact in our brief time here in Pittsburgh.”
Jeremy Katz, a member of NAST’s Corporate Affiliate Board
The Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank was founded in 2012 and has since provided more than 9.3 million diapers to families in need. It’s one of just 10 diaper banks in Pennsylvania, and one of only two in the western part of the state. More than a thousand volunteers have dedicated 3,461 hours of support to the bank, which served 14,000 families and 50,000 babies in 2023 alone.
According to the National Diaper Bank Network, diaper need has increased sharply as prices have increased, with almost half of families with babies nationally reporting diaper need in 2023. This makes babies more vulnerable to painful rashes, urinary tract infections, and more trips to the doctor, and may cause those children to be unable to attend early childhood education programs.
Research shows that children who participate in early childhood education are 2.5 times more likely to go on to higher education, and that children with even modest savings in their name set aside for education are three times more likely to enroll in post-high school education, and four times more likely to graduate. The Pennsylvania Treasury Department’s Keystone Scholars program provides every baby born in the state in 2019 or later with $100 for their education savings at birth.
“Giving every baby born in Pennsylvania a jumpstart to their education savings brings impacts that go far beyond the money, just like donating diapers to a family in need can have a big ripple effect. I’m thankful that my fellow members of NAST shared their generosity with the Keystone State while visiting this week.”
Pennsylvania State Treasurer Stacy Garrity
Treasurer Garrity encourages families to claim their child’s Keystone Scholars account online at pa529.com/keystone and to continue saving with the PA 529 College and Career Savings Program.
The PA 529 program helps families steadily and strategically save for future educational expenses like tuition, fees, books, equipment, room and board and more at qualifying technical, collegiate and apprenticeship programs. PA 529 accounts offer significant state and federal tax advantages and saving with PA 529 does not impact Pennsylvania state financial aid eligibility.
There are two PA 529 plans available, the PA 529 Guaranteed Savings Plan (GSP), which allow families to save at today’s tuition rates to meet tomorrow’s tuition costs, and the Morningstar Gold-Rated PA 529 Investment Plan (IP), which allows families to choose from a variety of investment portfolios.
To learn more about the PA 529 College and Career Savings Program visit pa529.com or call 800-440-4000.
To learn more about the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank, including ways to give, visit wpadiaperbank.org.