Charlotte is getting a ‘diaper bank.’ Here’s how to get what you need or help others.
A new “diaper bank” is launching in Charlotte, which will provide diapers and personal hygiene products to families who need supplies when caring for their babies.
The Diaper Bank of North Carolina, which already operates three locations across the state, partnered with Smart Start of Mecklenburg County for its Charlotte project, located at 3418 Vane Ct.
“We know that one in three families who have children who are of diaper-wearing age are diaper-insecure families,” Smart Start chief strategy officer Jennifer Stamp told The Charlotte Observer. “They have to make choices between diapers and food.”
Smart Start is providing seed money to focus on the diaper bank’s mission of providing disposable undergarments to families with young children, Stamp said. The bank will also provide feminine hygiene products and adult incontinence supplies.
The groups will host a “grand opening” Sept. 29, complete with “a ribbon cutting, tours of our facility, diaper wrapping demonstrations and the chance to meet our staff.”
Since March, the bank has been collecting donations and working to “bundle” diapers for distribution, Stamp said. The nonprofit could use more volunteers to put “donations into sizes and counts so they’re distributed very uniformly to our partners,” she said.
Folks looking to volunteer with the diaper bank should reach out to branch director Avery Payne by emailing avery@ncdiaperbank.org or calling 980-900-7364. If you want to donate diapers or other items, you can have them sent directly to the diaper bank by ordering from their Amazon wish list.
Stamps said organizers are already hearing from families in the Charlotte community looking to get diapers, but folks seeking assistance will need to go through nonprofit organizations that partner with the bank.
Organizations that want to partner with the diaper bank can learn more by visiting ncdiaperbank.org/charlotte-branch.
Eventually, Stamp said, the groups hope to launch “diaper drops throughout the community” that would operate similarly to “little book libraries” and expand the diaper bank’s reach.
“We hear from pediatricians all the time about babies coming in with horrible rashes because they didn’t get clean diapers all weekend. Families can’t go to work or school if they don’t bring a supply of diapers to childcare,” Stamp said. “People don’t think about it and make that connection, but it can be a huge barrier to a family’s success.”
This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
