Spokane Police are looking for a couple who punched a security guard at Safeway after trying to shoplift about $18 worth of diapers, according to today’s story in The Spokesma-Review, “Huggies theft may be linked to the recession.”

The incident, which happened last week, is a sign of how desperate some parents have become in light of the economic downturn. Unfortunately, this wasn’t an isolated case. In the past month alone, several newspapers and media outlets throughout the country have reported similar stories. Here’s just a sampling:

In Millville, N.J., a Rite Aid employee reported that two men stole $68 worth of store-brand diapers, according to NJ.com.

In the Sacramento area, a woman was caught by police after she walked out of a grocery store with a shopping cart full of baby diapers and two cases of beer worth more than $170, according to CW31, the CBS affiliate in the area.

What happened in Spokane also took place earlier this month in Iowa. According to the Des Moines Register, a woman kicked a grocery store security worker after she picked up two boxes of diapers worth $40. She even had her car parked right outside the store’s front doors. She’s now in jail.

And finally, a letter to the editor of The Nashville News reported how a shoplifting has become so bad that one store clerk said, “We've even taken to locking up some of the diapers."

Disposable diapers are definitely expensive. I remember spending at least $50 to $75 a month – even when buying in bulk at Costco. The news stories prompted me to look in our daughter’s closet, where I found half a package of unused Pull-Ups that our family will no longer need. Is there a place in Spokane where you can donate opened packages such as these? I’m also wondering where these desperate families can go for help.

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