From Purchase To Donation Center — Follow This Pack Of Diapers As It Reaches A Family In Need

Every year, my North Alabama community collects diapers for local families in need. The Great Diaper Drive is a true regional effort, and depends on several agencies and volunteers working together to make sure babies have their diaper needs met. The journey of a box of diapers from store shelf to the local diaper bank is one that ultimately ends in all smiles, and happy babies.

It’s quite simple, really. Many hands make light work and we’re all in this thing together, right? It’s as easy as 1-2-3, or in this case, a Mother Goose nursery rhyme.

This is the baby that a community diapered.

Every parent wants their baby to be healthy and happy. Recently, the National Diaper Bank Network and founding sponsor Huggies conducted a study titled Diaper Need and Its Impact on U.S. Families; it revealed that one-in-three families are in diaper need, or struggle to provide enough diapers to keep a baby or toddler clean, dry, and healthy. Additionally, one third of households in need experience feeling stressed or overwhelmed by diapering always or often.

This is the family that loves the baby

that a community diapered.

What causes families to fall on such hard times that they can’t keep their baby in a clean diaper? Quite a lot, as it turns out. When the average cost of diapers and wipes are roughly $80 a month, it’s easy to be derailed by an unexpected medical bill. Having no direct route or easy way to get to the store for diapers can also be a barrier. A job change that ties up paychecks can also cause problems for a tight monthly budget.

The truth is, it can happen to any one of us. No family is immune.

This is the pantry

that shared the diapers that the family needed for the baby they loved that a community diapered.

Even families with kids can volunteer at Manna House, a food pantry in Huntsville, AL

In addition to food items, many food pantries also provide basic hygiene items like soap, toothpaste, and—if you’re lucky—diapers. It’s surprising that non-food items, including diapers, soap and toothpaste aren’t covered by federal subsidies. Food pantries that partner with diaper banks like Manna House in Huntsville, AL struggle to keep diapers in stock, and rely on their generous donors and volunteers to provide them.

Diaper drive volunteers loading the truck

When Huntsville citizens learned about Alabama’s diaper crisis, they hosted “diaper showers” at their workplaces and in their neighborhoods. Volunteers at local food pantries then connected the truckloads of those donations to the families that need them.

This is the Diaper Bank

that stored the diapers that the pantry shared that the family needed for the baby they loved that a community diapered.

The Food Bank of North Alabama also serves as our local National Diaper Bank Network member.

Hopefully there’s a member bank somewhere in your area. If not, it’s not difficult to create one. They have the capacity to store diapers and wipes in their giant warehouse, a logistical challenge smaller food pantries aren’t able to do. There, staff like Frank Mitchell count, weigh, and distribute the collected diapers to over 240 agencies. Those agencies know exactly where diapers are needed most.

These are the people we want to thank

that collected items for the Diaper Bank that stored the diapers that the pantry shared that the family needed for the baby they loved that a community diapered.

A lawyer. A comedy club manager. These are just a few people that donated diapers. Morris Lilienthal challenged his staff and clients on social media to bring donations to his law office.

Andrew Dorfman hosted a concert at his comedy club and bought diapers with all the proceeds for the Great Diaper Drive.

One box of diapers can make a huge difference in a baby’s life. But it takes a true community effort to get that box from the store shelf to the diaper bank and into the hands of families that need them most.

Interested in helping those in need? Support the National Diaper Bank Network by making a monetary contribution at nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org, visit a local diaper bank or even host a diaper drive. You can also donate your Huggies Rewards Points to the National Diaper Bank Network by visiting Huggies.com/NoBabyUnhugged.

Huggies – the fastest growing diaper brand in U.S. hospitals – believes deeply in the Power of Hugs, which is why every diaper and wipe is inspired by a parent’s embrace. The Huggies No Baby Unhugged program helps ensure all babies get the hugs they need to thrive by supporting hugging programs in hospitals and donating diapers across the country. Learn how you can help at Huggies.com.