Nonprofit collecting diapers for dads in DeKalb County

For Marshall Hendricks, fatherhood hasn’t come without its share of challenges and opportunities.

At age 31, the Sycamore resident became a first-time father to a baby girl named Caydence.

Hendricks said he’s grateful to have found healing more than a decade into his fatherhood and faith journey.

“My faith has been both compass and fuel,” Hendricks said. “It’s what taught me that trusting God means moving forward, even when the path isn’t clear. When custody battles threatened to break me, I leaned on the promise that ‘faith without works is dead’ and acted, showing up for every court date possible, every visitation, every moment with courage.”

It’s that same perseverance that drives Fathers of Faith Inc., a newly established local nonprofit organization that aims to empower hope, dignity and equity for fathers through faith, advocacy and social action.

“I believe that by anchoring our plans in prayer and coupling belief with bold action, we can stand in the gap for other dads and help them rise above their circumstances,” Hendricks said.

Hendricks said the idea behind Fathers of Faith was born from personal experience.

“I have a 12-year-old daughter who lives in California, and I went through a horrible, traumatic and still very eye-opening type of journey through the ... family law court system,” Hendricks said.

Hendricks said his work for his newly created nonprofit organization gives him an outlet to redirect pain from not being able to see his daughter regularly.

In June, Fathers of Faith launched a campaign called Diapers for Dads, a six-week initiative on a mission to give 100 underserved fathers in DeKalb County one week’s worth of diapers. The campaign closes Aug. 4.

Baby essentials, such as diapers and wipes, often can be an expensive purchase for parents, let alone single fathers.

Hendricks said this is where nonprofit organizations, such as Fathers of Faith, hope to fill the need.

Under its Diapers for Dads campaign, the group has a goal to collect 10,000 diapers and 30,000 baby wipes to support 100 local single fathers.

“As a single father going through custody battles or navigating that system – having to work, provide child support – those are some things that are another disparity for father support,“ Hendricks said. ”SNAP does not offer diaper support for fathers. There’s a lot of other programs that are mother-centered, but there’s a gap, and that’s why we’re the filing the need in father-centered support.”

Hendricks said Fathers of Faith has been active in the community and is growing in momentum. Last week, the group hosted a pop-up resource event at Cathedral of Praise in DeKalb.

“It started as a concept, but our team is growing,” Hendricks said. “We’re interviewing for board members. Our teams consists of formal and informal team members of civic leaders [and] community partners that are developing.”

Hendricks said the feedback he’s gotten about what he’s doing in the community has been positive.

“[It’s great] for a nonprofit to have this much traction and a solid mission to where there’s an obvious gap in underserved fathers, and being a man of color and a faith-led father ... in a community that I’m growing to love, but I think I’m shocking some people about it,” Hendricks said. “But I’m getting really good feedback from the community.”

Hendricks said he envisions Fathers of Faith having the capacity to one day serve fathers beyond DeKalb and DeKalb County.

“Our plans are to continue this and expand this into not only further DeKalb County but other counties as well,” he said.

Baby essential items – including diapers, wipes and hand sanitizer – can be dropped off at several locations in DeKalb County now through Aug. 4.

Drop-off spots

• Old National Bank, 230 W. State St., Sycamore
• Old National Bank, 130 W. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb
• Old National Bank, 2290 Sycamore Road, DeKalb
• Christian Connection, 337 W. State St., Sycamore
• Kishwaukee YMCA, 2500 Bethany Road, Sycamore