Auburn Journal: State Assembly Candidate Leads Drive to Donate 2000 Diapers to Charity
- Neva Parker
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
By Dan Araujo
Jan 30, 2026 2:00 PM
One of the fundamental tenets of a society is that we treat each other in a civil way. One of the ways that is accomplished is by recognizing the humanity in one another. This is especially important when it comes to people we disagree with and are against.
For Neva Parker, leadership has always equaled compassion; compassion being leadership along with action. And when taking up a call to collect diapers for a local charity arose, it wasn’t so much about being an example as much as it was about fulfilling a need.
This past December, with government services in the midst of a 43-day shutdown, Parker, campaign manager Tomas Evangelista and other volunteers put out the call for collecting diapers as a way to help replenish the stock of Lighthouse Counseling in Lincoln.
Parker said the subject came about through meetings while running her campaign for State Assembly District 5, hearing the need from organizations hoping to collect necessary items for local families who endured many types of hardships. To the team, holding a diaper drive in multiple locations, including in Auburn and elsewhere, provided a great opportunity to help out.
“Campaigns have a unique ability in that we have a platform that a lot of people don't have,” Parker explained. “And we wanted to use it for something helpful and good in the community.”
This mindset started the ball rolling. Lighthouse became an easy selection, as they have a national reach – even shipping items to those in need who aren’t close, according to Evangelista – as well as being equipped to distribute locally.
Parker relayed she had been feeling called to do something for the community in the spirit of the holidays, and then felt even more so inclined when the government shutdown occurred, which canceled many services relied upon in the area. From there, selecting the Lighthouse became a natural fit.
“We decided on the Lighthouse because they were a depository, but also because their diaper bank has been depleted because of the holidays and all the events that they'd been hosting helping local families,” Parker reflected, adding they delivered the diapers collected just in time for the holidays, toward the end of November.
The idea was a boon for the local charity and beneficial for local families. Through the movement’s various drop-off points, scattered in and around Placer County – with one at Auburn’s El Tapatio restaurant – Parker and her team brought in around 2,000 diapers to donate to the depository, and according to the group, they had no idea it would be such a sizeable number. People came in, Parker said, with boxes of diapers, saying they hadn’t needed to buy diapers in years because their own children had grown and felt glad to do it again, especially for such a good cause.
What started as an idea overheard ended up becoming a push to help better her community, which is something the team has often strived for. And it’s something that transcends campaigns and political parties.
“We just wanted to help the community. This was something that was clearly in need at the moment,” Parker said. “I knew that our community comes together, that there are people out there who are filled with compassion and love, and they want to be able to share it. And a lot of times, people don't know how to do that.”
She went on, saying, “You don't have to be elected in order to make an impact like that. I think anybody can create an event and get people together to donate, to do other things, to make a difference in their community. I think that's one of the things that our campaign – when we start talking about this – were like, we don't need to have this big megaphone like somebody that's elected would have. We can just do it ourselves.”
