DIAPER BANK NC-
DBNC Programs
Diaper Distribution
One in every two families struggles to afford diapers.
Even after working two or three jobs, many parents are faced with the stress, guilt, and desperation of not being able to afford a healthy supply of diapers. Families attempt to make diapers last as long as possible, which can mean that their babies and toddlers spend the entire day in a single diaper, causing discomfort and even leading to infections.
Public safety net programs, such as WIC and SNAP (previously known as Food Stamps) do not cover the purchase of diapers, leaving many families with the difficult choice of buying diapers or other necessities with their limited funds. Most daycare centers require a day’s worth of diapers, creating yet another challenge to achieving self-sufficiency that low-income working families face.
The Diaper Bank of North Carolina was created to fill this gap in our system.
We are committed to ensuring that all babies have enough diapers to stay clean, dry, and healthy. While the vast majority of the diapers we distribute are disposable, we also have cloth diapers available to families who request them. The over 7.5 million diapers a year we distribute through our community partners make a big difference by improving infant health, reducing parental stress, and removing barriers to accessing childcare.
Formula
We fill the formula gap.
WIC only supplements the monthly supply of formula, and many families are using sugar water or thinning out formula to make it until the next WIC check comes in. Providing formula to families can have several benefits, addressing immediate nutritional needs and contributing to the overall well-being of infants and their families.
Here are some potential benefits:
Improved Infant Nutrition: Formula is designed to provide essential nutrients for the healthy growth and development of infants. Providing formula ensures that infants receive adequate nutrition, even when breastfeeding may not be feasible or sufficient.
Prevention of Malnutrition: Families in poverty may face challenges in affording nutritious food, and infants may be at risk of malnutrition. Formula can serve as a reliable source of essential nutrients, helping prevent malnutrition and associated health issues.
Healthier Development: Adequate nutrition during infancy is crucial for proper physical and cognitive development. Formula can contribute to healthier development, potentially reducing the risk of developmental delays and health problems in children.
Reduced Infant Mortality: Access to proper nutrition, including formula, can contribute to lower infant mortality rates. Ensuring that infants receive the necessary nutrients during the critical early months of life can improve their chances of survival and long-term health.
Empowerment of Mothers: Providing formula can empower mothers, especially those facing challenges in breastfeeding due to health issues or other constraints. It gives mothers a viable and accessible option for ensuring their infants' nutrition, contributing to maternal well-being.
Economic Relief: Formula can be expensive, and families in poverty may struggle to afford it. Providing formula can alleviate financial burdens on these families, allowing them to allocate their limited resources to other essential needs.
Addressing Specific Health Conditions: In cases where mothers have medical conditions that make breastfeeding difficult or impossible, formula provides a practical solution to ensure that infants receive proper nutrition.
Supporting Vulnerable Populations: Families facing poverty, such as refugees or internally displaced persons, may have limited access to resources. Providing formula specifically targets the needs of vulnerable populations, ensuring that infants in these communities receive essential nutrition.
Promoting Public Health: Ensuring that all infants, regardless of their socioeconomic status, have access to proper nutrition contributes to public health. Healthy infants are more likely to grow into healthy children and adults, reducing the overall burden on healthcare systems.
Immediate Relief in Emergencies: In emergency situations, such as natural disasters or conflicts, where access to clean water or appropriate breastfeeding conditions may be compromised, providing formula can offer a quick and practical solution to meet infants' nutritional needs.
Adult Incontinence
For seniors on a limited income, adult incontinence supplies can be a luxury item.
Between the high price of adult incontinence supplies and the challenges of navigating complicated insurance systems, many seniors are unable to afford the products they need to be able to live their life the way they would like, with the dignity and joy they deserve.
The Diaper Bank of North Carolina distributes adult incontinence products through our partner organizations.
In 2020 the Diaper Bank of North Carolina saw a 2000% increase in adult incontinence distribution and requests and the need continues to grow.
Without assistance from the Diaper Bank of North Carolina, the elderly are forced to make difficult choices about whether to spend money on hygiene items or on other basic needs such as food, rent, or medicine. The products distributed allow these individuals to experience the dignity that comes from having a basic need met while also facilitating broader outcomes including feeling more connected to their community, being able to leave their homes more often, and feeling cleaner, healthier, and less frustrated.
Period Power
1 in 4 Teens and 1 in 3 Menstruating Adults Struggle to Purchase Period Products Due to Lack of Income.
Awareness has grown globally about menstruating individuals struggling because they lack period products. Far less recognized is the impact of this issue right in our own community. A significant portion of low-income menstruating individuals in North Carolina do not have affordable access to the products they need each month.
As with other hygiene products not covered by government programs such as WIC and SNAP (food stamps), menstruating individuals must make difficult trade-offs to cope with the expense of menstrual pads and tampons. They skip rent payments or go without groceries. They use fewer products at the expense of health and hygiene. They substitute by using toilet paper to line their underwear and then worry about embarrassing accidents.
The inability to afford personal essentials increases emotional stress and stigma. It drives menstruating individuals to miss school, work, or social engagements. Above all, it challenges their sense of personal dignity.
At The Diaper Bank of North Carolina, we believe that dignity is not a privilege.
Menstruating individuals deserve to be able to fully participate in their lives, no matter the time of the month. The Diaper Bank of North Carolina is addressing period poverty in the NC community through our Period Power initiative. Period Power allows existing community partners to offer period products to clients who may also be receiving diapers.
Essentials Hub
Research
Our work is grounded in research.
From how many diapers we distribute to what the outcome of giving out a diaper is, we rely on research to make those decisions. We are the only diaper bank in the country to publish research on what the outcome of giving hygiene products has on both the families we serve and the community partners we distribute through. We are proud to have a PhD researcher on staff that evaluates all of our programs.
Diaper Bank of North Carolina works with an academic research team to evaluate all of our programs. The data they have collected and analyzed has allowed us to improve the way we serve our community partners and our families. Based on input from diaper recipients, we had added new programs and learned about the ways in which receiving diapers has benefited families in the community.
Working with an evaluation team has allowed us to learn more about the families we are serving. For example, we have learned that 76% of the families who receive diapers from the Diaper Bank of North Carolina are working families. The families we serve are working 1 and 3 jobs but are struggling to get by between paychecks. Better understanding the context of families’ lives allows us to serve them in ways that best meet their needs.
As a result of diaper need, families experience health, economic, and social disparities. Through our research, we have documented the ways in which providing diapers addresses these disparities so that children, parents, and caregivers are healthier and happier and parents can attend work, school, and job training.
The evaluation findings from the Diaper Bank of North Carolina have implications for diaper banks across the country. We serve as a resource for other diaper banks eager to document the outcomes of their own community efforts.