Diaper/formula drive for infant Katrina victims

Senior Dalit Gulak amidst the thousands of items collected at UD to help infant victims of Hurricane Katrina.

2:01 p.m., Sept. 27, 2005--The mothers of newborns and infants affected by Hurricane Katrina will have 4,180 diapers, 60 quarts of baby formula, 15 pounds of powdered formula, 2,912 baby wipes and 50 bottle liners to help them deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, all thanks to the efforts of Dalit Gulak, a UD senior foreign languages and literatures major, the March of Dimes Delaware, UD’s March of Dimes Collegiate Council and many others.

Gulak, a 2005 Truman Scholar, got the idea from a friend. “ I got an e-mail from another Truman Scholar who lives in Louisiana asking about help for infants and newborns,” she said. “I contacted the March of Dimes of Delaware about shipping the things people would donate to Louisiana and Mississippi. Then, I asked the Honors Program to send a letter to all of its students asking for donations of diapers and formula.”

The letter reads, “The March of Dimes and every woman and baby in need are asking YOU to donate diapers and formula for the tiny wonders of the world. These amazing survivors are trying to thrive in their first days of life, through the aftermath of the most horrific hurricane to ever strike the United States. This is where each and every one of you can make a major difference.”

The drive began on Monday, Sept. 19, and concluded Friday, Sept. 23.

“We got a donation of diapers and formula from K-Mart at College Square Shopping Center and a class at A.I. du Pont High School donated 1,000 diapers and 1,000 baby wipes,” Gulak said.

“We had a wonderful turnout,” Gulak said. There were drop-off locations at the Honors Program office and at Hullihen Hall. People from all over campus helped, as did people from the Newark community, she said.

The baby supplies will be delivered to the March of Dimes office in Wilmington, Tuesday, Sept. 27, and then be shipped to the southern chapter of the March of Dimes to be distributed in affected areas in Mississippi.

Article by Barbara Garrison
Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson

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