The MATC FAST Fund and the Milwaukee Diaper Mission will provide MATC students with diapers on Tuesday, February 8th from 9 to 2 pm at the FAST Fund office, on the downtown MATC campus at 1027 N 7th Street, Foundation Hall, 8th floor.
According to Liz Franczyk, the FAST Fund’s Executive Director and an MATC Spanish instructor, “Pell Grants and Wisconsin Grants have not kept up with rising inflation. Diaper prices have soared by 184% since November 2022. The FAST Fund is providing these diapers to help reduce the financial stress on our students and their families.”
From 2000 to 2021, the average unmet financial need of Wisconsin college students grew by 135.6% adjusted for inflation. And Wisconsin Technical College students like those who attend MATC have the greatest unmet need at $8,103.
Monay Williams, a current MATC student who received diapers in an earlier distribution, said, “Getting diapers meant the world to me and my baby. I am very appreciative that the FAST Fund makes sure I am getting the resources I need so I can concentrate on earning my diploma.”
“Approximately 1/3 of U.S. families with young children are unable to afford diapers. This is a public health issue recognized as ‘Diaper Need,’” said Megan Johnson, executive director of the Milwaukee Diaper Mission, a non-profit organization that believes that diapers are a necessity not a choice.”
Diaper Need leads to a multitude of problems for both baby and caregiver, affecting not only physical health but also mental and economic health.
“Students who cannot afford diapers miss school because childcare providers require parents to supply a daily supply of diapers. Many MATC parent students face impossible choices between buying food, paying rent, or purchasing diapers. In Milwaukee, diaper need is a hidden consequence of poverty,” said Franczyk.
The FAST Fund is a faculty- led non-profit organization that was initiated by the American
Federation of Teachers Local 212, Milwaukee Area Technical College’s faculty and professional staff union in 2016. The FAST Fund is committed to helping MATC students succeed and to promoting financial aid and other policy reforms so that every MATC student has an opportunity to succeed.
