In The News
Featured
MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — In one week, the 9 Diaper Drive collected more than 6,000 diapers for Mecklenburg County families in need.
It also collected more than 5,600 wipes and more than 500 period and adult incontinence products.
Pregnant and newly postpartum women found themselves displaced by Helene — confronting canceled appointments, reworked birth plans and the loss of their belongings.
Following Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact on western North Carolina, organizations and community members in the Triangle are providing aid to people affected by the disaster.
In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, myTalk 107.1/Minneapolis-St. Paul raised $31,652. The radio station then partnered with the Diaper Bank of North Carolina to purchase over 125,000 diapers for needy families in the Asheville area.
LGBTQ+ people and women face unique needs after climate disasters that are often ignored by federal disaster response. Here's how you can help.
Here's how to get food, water, hygiene products, and more critical supplies to those affected by the climate disaster.
Local organization collects diapers for nonprofits to give to families
Diapers are one of the biggest expenses facing parents of young children. It’s estimated that half of those families struggle to afford diapers.
All this week, Channel 9 is working to raise awareness of the need for diaper donations in our community. You may not know, but there’s a North Carolina Diaper Bank here in Charlotte filling the critical need for so many families.
VIDEO- ‘Diaper Bank’ helps support families in North Carolina
The United States is increasingly recognizing period product insecurity, insufficient access to menstrual products and limited private spaces for managing menstruation due to financial constraints, as an issue impacting the well-being and dignity of Americans.
Kevin Kendrick’s focus now is a little different than it used to be.
“I was a Detroit police officer for a few years, beginning in 1977 before joining the FBI in 1981.”
His FBI career lasted 25 years before Kendrick ventured into the private sector and his civic engagement really began.
“I learned so much about what is happening in the community to help people live better lives.”
He now leads Rotary District 7680, the service organization that covers 14 counties, and spearheads some major efforts.
The price of feminine products have increased nearly 10% in the past 5 years leaving some women to have to make the decision between pads and groceries.
And while some organizations are trying to provide these products to those in the most need, there is not much access here in Eastern North Carolina.
Every day, North Carolina students who cannot afford period supplies are forced to ask teachers or school staff for feminine hygiene products. Some students miss school because they don’t have tampons or menstrual pads at home.
Advocates for ending “period poverty,” the lack of access to supplies due to lack of income, met at the Legislative Building on Wednesday to emphasize the importance the issue has for education and student health.
Public school districts and charter schools eagerly dipped into a state grant program for feminine hygiene products that the legislature started in 2021 with $250,000.
Schools are able to obtain up to $5,000 a year for supplies. The current budget increased total funding to $500,000 a year.
Michelle Schaefer-Old, founder and CEO of the Diaper Bank of NC, said they wanted to thank legislators for what they’ve done so far, and to encourage them “to add to it.” The Diaper Bank founded the Period Power Coalition, a group of organizations working to end period poverty.
HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — Inside the Baby Basics closet at the YWCA High Point, visitors will find free clothes, baby formula and diapers.
“A lot of people are very grateful,” Director of the Women’s Resource Center at YWCA High Point Regina Johnson said. “One lady said to me, ‘I don’t know what I was going to do because I was down to my last diaper.'”
That’s a decision Michelle Schaefer-Old never wants families to face and what led her to launch the Diaper Bank of North Carolina in 2013 from her kitchen table in Durham.
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — Baby food and formula have had one of the highest inflation rates since last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index.
What You Need To Know
Baby food and formula prices rose 8.7% from Jan. 2023 to Jan. 2024
The Diaper Bank of North Carolina helps families by supplying diapers, formulas and feminine hygiene products
The bank recently moved to a larger location to help service more families
Reports show raising a child born in 2023 compared to a child born in 2011, costs around 30% more
As many parents know, the cost of raising a child can be expensive, and it's getting more expensive with inflation. This means many parents must reevaluate what items are needed to support their family.
FOX8 COMMUNITY
Diaper Bank of North Carolina donates 5,000 diapers to FOX8 Community Baby Shower
Students at all Guilford County Schools traditional high schools now have access to free period products, thanks to the Period Power initiative by the Diaper Bank of North Carolina.
“We distributed almost 400,000 diapers last year, that was only 4% of the need last year in Mecklenburg County," Avery Payne with Diaper Bank NC, said. It’s a dream that has blossomed into reality in over a decade.
CLICK IMAGE TO KEEP READING
Six Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington (GLOW) students awarded a $1,000 grant to the Diaper Bank of North Carolina-Lower Cape Fear on Tuesday, March 26.
The students are part of the Student Giving Circle, an initiative of the Women’s Impact Network of New Hanover County.
CLICK IMAGE TO KEEP READING
MICHELLE OLD’S eyes were opened to the huge need for diapers after adopting her youngest child. “He was very sick for the first year and a half,” she says of her son, who is now 11 years old. “We were changing him 30 to 40 times a day, but he’d still end up in the emergency room with diaper rashes. His body could not fight off any type of infection or irritation.”
CLICK IMAGE TO KEEP READING
Founded in 2013 by Michelle Old, this organization distributes diaper and hygiene products to babies, teens, women and seniors. Once a week, every week, for a few hours each time, Kathy Hohneker heads to a cold but vibrant 12,000 square- foot warehouse in Durham.
Families can spend up to $100 a month on diapers. Now, one North Carolina woman is trying to fill the gap.
The Diaper Bank already has locations in the Triangle, Triad and Lower Cape Fear region. Michelle Old, the founder, started the business in 2013 and says one in three families are in need of diaper assistance.
The Diaper Bank of North Carolina has a warehouse in Winston-Salem. The recent shortage has them struggling with supply.
Michelle Old has been helping families living in poverty for the past decade as the founder of the Diaper Bank of North Carolina. Her Triangle organization provides basic necessities like diapers, period products and adult incontinence supplies.