By Kathy Doane
Drive down Steubenville Avenue in the heart of Cambridge, Ohio, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. any final Friday of the month, and you’ll likely see young moms and their babies entering St. John’s Episcopal Church. Occasionally, you’ll see dads with their kids in tow.
They are there to take part in one of the church’s most important and enduring missions, Operation Dry Bottoms (ODB), a free diaper distribution program for some of the area’s most vulnerable citizens. The only requirement to participate is that clients be residents of Guernsey County in the east-central part of Ohio in the Appalachian foothills where the per capita income is $32,600 according to the latest U.S. Census figures.
It’s an area—according to retired St. John’s deacon, the Rev. Robert Howell—where jobs are scarce and poverty rates are high. Those realities were key to inspiring those who started ODB in 2002.
At the time, St. John’s priest, the Rev. Barry Cotter, thought that the parish needed an outreach mission. Another priest serving St. John’s, the Rev. John Brandenburg, suggested a free diaper distribution program. He knew of another such effort that was no longer providing the service.
Three parishioners stepped up to organize and lead the effort: Marilyn McKim, Dorothy Swanson and Judd Ellerston. One of the early volunteers came up with the name, Operation Dry Bottoms, and word began to spread.
“It was slow at first,” according to Marilyn, but media attention in the local newspaper, The Daily Jeffersonian, and on one of the local radio stations sparked interest. Today, most clients learn about the mission through St. John’s Facebook Page. “It has limped along at times over the years, but we always managed to keep it going,” says ODB volunteer Joan Howell, wife of Deacon Bob.
Joan has volunteered for ODB for two years. On distribution days, you’ll find her behind a table in the parish hall, greeting new and returning arrivals. For first-timers, there’s a form to fill out with basic information, including proof of Guernsey County residency, usually a driver’s license. Joan later transfers the information to an index card to more easily check-in returning clients the next time. Two other volunteers usually greet and talk with clients as they wait, assuring everyone feels comfortable and welcome.
It’s impossible to predict how many will come each month. “In April, we served 18 children, nine returns and nine new,” Joan says. “Most months we serve fewer children, but we never know who will show up.”
Clients receive two 24-packs of diapers up to toddler sizes and a packet of wipes for each child in the family. “We had to limit diapers sizes to infants and young children, since we cover all the costs ourselves,” Joan explains. That makes ODB and its longevity all the more impressive.
Like churches throughout the country, membership and attendance at Sunday worship has declined. “There was a time when the pews of St. John’s were full every Sunday,” says Senior Warden Heidi Swanson, daughter of early ODB leader, the late Dorothy Swanson. Still, enough members continue to give financially and by donating diapers and wipes, determined to keep the mission going. Earlier this year, ODB got a financial boost from the diocese when they received a $2,000 Episcopal Community Ministries grant to support its good works.
“I know what we hand out isn’t much in the grand scheme of things, but it helps,” Joan says. “And it’s very obvious when clients leave that they are very grateful.”
On those last Fridays of the month, something else important takes place, too, something foundational to Episcopal life, that sense of community that builds over time when people gather to help others.
St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1025 Steubenville Ave., Cambridge, OH. (740) 432-7508. stjohnepiscopal@outlook.com.
Kathy Doane is a freelance writer and member of All Saints, Pleasant Ridge. On June 25, Kathy will be inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists Hall of Fame.
