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For several years, one of the biggest concerns for members of Petal Excel By 5’s community focus group has been finding the best way to reach people who are most vulnerable and in need of the services provided by the organization and the Coleman Center for Families and Children.

After doing some research on that matter, officials discovered there are approximately 75 families each month with children from ages 0-5 who are being served by the Petal Children’s Task force but not being served by Excel By 5’s Pre-K partners. To that end, the Coleman Center’s Backyard bus will soon begin distributing diapers and other needed supplies on site at the center.

“We have outreach, of course, and we have outreach through our childcare providers in the community and the schools,” said Valerie Wilson, a member of the Petal Excel By 5 Coalition. “But there are families that move into Petal that have no idea the resources are available, and they might even be intimidated by the Coleman Center – they don’t know if that’s something that belongs to them … especially if they have a language barrier.

“So it’s been our goal for years to try to locate those families that are most in need. One of our outreach projects was the Backyard Bus, and the bus was exactly (intended) to go out to communities that might not feel comfortable feel comfortable coming into Petal and checking out the Coleman Center, especially if they didn’t know it existed.”

The distribution will take place from 9 a.m.-noon on the last Tuesday of each month – beginning March 29 – at the Coleman Center, located at 201 West Central Avenue in Petal. In addition to diapers, officials also will be handing out information about resources available at the center, including the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. That initiative provides children from 0-5 years with a free book once per month.

“The diapers, we felt, would be a way to work with the Petal Children’s Task Force to establish relationships with some of these families,” Wilson said. “We’ll even have QR codes on the diapers that will take (participants) directly to the site, so they can read for themselves what might be available.

“Initially, the most important aspect of this is just establishing trust and a relationship with people that are unfamiliar with (the center).”

Officials will test out the distribution event a few times before deciding whether to continue with it.

“We’re going to go ahead and give it a shot for three months, to see how successful it is, see how many contacts we make, see what kind of reaction we have,” Wilson said. “Then we’ll discern whether we need to continue it for a longer period of time.”

To help with the initiative, officials are asking residents and organizations to collect and donate diapers of any size and other supplies – including pull-ups, baby wipes and diaper rash cream. Items can be dropped off during regular business hours at the Coleman Center or the Petal School District Central office on 115 East Central Avenue in Petal.

Those efforts will be helped during at “Bottoms Up” Date Night Diaper Drive event on March 3 at Grand Central Outfitters, 128 South Main Street in Petal. Anyone who donated a pack of diapers will get a free flight of beer, and a food truck and live entertainment will be provided from 6-9 p.m.

Residents also will have the opportunity to donate during “Stuff the Bus” events in and around Petal, which will be announced on the Petal Excel By 5 Facebook page.

Monetary donations also can be made via the Petal Education Foundation’s website at www.petaleducationfoundation.org.

“This is the beginning of a long term commitment that will help us reach our most vulnerable population, the infants and toddlers of families in need in the Petal community,” Wilson said.

For more information, call Wilson at (601) 583-3306.

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