Non profit WestSide Baby in White Center, as we reported on June 17 is part of a remarkable program sponsored by the manufacturer of Huggies brand diapers, Kimberly-Clark in which 10 diaper banks across the nation will receive millions of free diapers. The diapers WestSide Baby will get will be distributed throughout the year by their distribution partners, established social service agencies such as food banks, DSHS or the Public Health Department.

WestSide Baby Executive Director, Nancy Woodland shares this further information,"We are receiving 2 storage containers tomorrow to store them. There will not be any representatives from Huggies (in Wisconsin) on site.

The truck will arrive at 11am and back into our parking lot. We’ll be unloading with a fork lift and pallet jack. We will have a representative or two from our 1-2 of our agency partners, including the White Center Food Bank’s, Rick Jump. From 9-11 and 1-3, our normal activities will continue with volunteers inside sorting and providers picking up orders."

Westside Baby provided the following press release with further details:

Following the announcement of a groundbreaking study (referenced below), WestSide Baby will receive 200,000 diapers from Kimberly-Clark’s Huggies Brand this week. WestSide Baby partners with our Seattle community to collect and distribute essential items to local children in need by collecting and distributing diapers, clothing and equipment like car seats and portable cribs. These diapers, like all the items we distribute, will reach families through our current 90 social service agency partners during the coming year.

While WestSide Baby will serve more than 15,000 children this year with everything from shoes to strollers, it has been clear to us during our ten years of operation that nothing is more important to the families we serve than diapers. We distributed 200,000 diapers in 2009 but we know that only touches the surface of the need.

Nancy Woodland, WestSide Baby’s Executive Director shares, “This is like a dream come true for WestSide Baby and for the thousands of children we serve. We are so thrilled to be receiving this gift and we are very excited about the future possibilities. Along with continued support from the amazing people in our community, we hope to be able to provide even more diapers to more infants in the coming year. We couldn’t be more thankful to Huggies for this generous gift and the recognition of the importance of filling this basic need."

For years, WestSide Baby has sought manufacturer donations or even discounts in our purchasing power and this donation will make a tremendous impact. While we purchase many diapers, we are very fortunate to have incredible community support through diaper drives. Just in 2010, 37,000 diapers have been donated by individuals, families and businesses and our largest community diaper drive of the year is just around the corner.

WestSide Baby’s 10th Annual Stuff the Bus Diaper Drive will be held on July 25 in West Seattle and on August 7 in Burien. On these days, we will park a large yellow school bus at a community event and ask supporters to come with diapers in hand. Children carrying boxes of diapers climb aboard the bus and honk the horn too!

Currently, we distribute only a 5-8 day supply of diapers per month per family. We purchase them at an average of 23 cents per diaper. As mentioned in the Huggies study referenced below, diapers are not currently covered by any federal or state subsidy program. The families that we serve through our agency partners often have no other source and must ration diapers or leave babies in soiled and wet diapers much longer than is healthy. To adequately diaper a child, can cost a family in poverty between $70-$100 per month. The results are cranky, crying babies and increased illness, diaper rash and the potential for abuse. In addition, most child care facilities require a full-day supply of disposable diapers and cloth diapers are not allowed.

Diaper need impacts more than just the one baby who goes without. Disease spreads throughout the community. Families are unable to accept jobs without child care arrangements requiring diapers. Through the thousands of individual donations we receive, amazing corporate gifts like the one from Huggies and perhaps one day through some kind of government support, we hope to be able to collectively address this issue and provide warm and dry bottoms for all the little ones in our community.

About WestSide Baby
WestSide Baby, in partnership with our community, provides essential items to local children in need by collecting and distributing diapers, clothes and equipment. Established in 2001, we have distributed more than $6 million in items to families in poverty or crisis. Items reach the community through established social service agency partners such as food banks, DSHS or the Public Health Department.

For Reference:

The following was released by Kimberly-Clark on Thursday June 17, 2010
A groundbreaking new study reveals a startling issue – 1 in 3 American mothers struggle to provide diapers for their babies. These mothers have had to cut back on basics such as food, utilities like heat or electricity, or even child care in order to provide enough diapers.

“This issue of ‘diaper need’ – mothers struggling to provide diapers for their babies – is serious and has been largely unrecognized until now. This study helps us understand the true scope that this type of material hardship may have, both physically and emotionally, for babies and mothers,” said Dr. Cybele Raver, a lead researcher on the study and professor at New York University. “Diapering is an important ritual that offers parents and babies valuable time to create a warm and positive emotional connection. This study helps us to understand the ways that many mothers feel distressed when they are faced with situations where they don’t have enough diapers for routine changes. It is clear from this study that not having enough diapers makes the job of parenting more difficult.”

One-third of moms struggling with diaper need run out of clean diapers monthly or more often. Babies may be kept in wet, dirty diapers for extended periods of time or, in more extreme cases, made to wear used diapers which have been cleaned or dried out. This may lead to babies suffering not just physically but emotionally. According to the study commissioned by Kimberly Clark’s Huggies Brand, babies in diaper need are more likely to show signs of irritation and discomfort, cry or suffer more from diaper rash when they can not be changed than babies who are not living in diaper need.

Another critical impact is mothers’ abilities to carry on with necessary daily activities. Nearly one in four mothers struggling with diaper need have missed work or school, stayed at home when they needed to go out, or kept their babies out of daycare because they did not have enough diapers. The majority of licensed day care centers require a full day’s supply of disposable, not cloth, diapers. Further, many Laundromats do not allow cloth diapers to be washed for sanitary reasons, making them an unrealistic option for mothers who don’t have in-home or private laundry access.

Forty-three percent of mothers struggling with diaper need say they need 14 or more extra diapers per week to feel they have enough. Yet there is little help for these mothers and babies as many community-based organizations don’t provide diapers. Public resources are also limited as food assistance programs like food stamps (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) focus solely on food and nutrition, and therefore do not cover diapers.

“As a social worker, I was surprised to learn that there were no public subsidies for diapers, and I quit my job six years ago to start a diaper bank to help get free diapers to babies in need and raise awareness of this issue. Unfortunately, there are still only a small number of local diaper banks across the country,” said Joanne Goldblum, executive director of The Diaper Bank in New Haven, CT. “The issue of diaper need is much more widespread, particularly in today’s difficult economy, which is why the national attention and support from Huggies is so critical.”

The Huggies® Every Little Bottom Study was conducted amongst 1,513 mothers in the U.S. with babies in diapers ages 0-4 years old1. The critical issue of diaper need revealed by this study prompted Huggies to develop a nationwide response – Every Little Bottom.

Up to 20 Million Diapers to Babies in Need
Huggies Every Little Bottom was created with a single mission – to help get diapers to babies in need. As a first step, Huggies will donate up to 20 million diapers in the U.S. in the next eight months. Huggies will kick off the donation with two million diapers given to ten local diaper banks across the country. These organizations are making a remarkable difference in their communities and this donation will help get assistance for even more babies.

In addition, these diaper banks are working with Huggies to help develop a sustainable solution to diaper need. This solution will include building awareness of diaper need, making additional diaper donations, and forging national and local partnerships that will provide the community-based support needed.

“We now better understand the widespread extent of diaper need in this country, and Huggies is committed to getting diapers to babies in need. We understand that diaper donations are only part of the solution.” said Stu Schneider, senior director of the Huggies Brand. “For Huggies, this is just the beginning of our long-term commitment to help, and we encourage communities around the country to join us in supporting this issue.”

In order to accomplish this, Huggies has forged partnerships with several organizations to help spread the word about diaper need and get people involved at the community level. Already, the March of Dimes, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, United Way, National Coalition of Pastors’ Spouses, National Latina Health Network, National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri, and many Junior Leagues have joined Every Little Bottom and committed to supporting its mission.

For more information about diaper need and how to get involved, visit www.EveryLittleBottom.com.

About Huggies® Every Little Bottom
Huggies® Every Little Bottom has a single mission – to help get diapers to babies in need in the U.S. and Canada. The program was developed in response to a groundbreaking new study that revealed the critical issue of diaper need. Diaper need is the struggle to provide babies with diapers. Today, 1 in 3 American and 1 in 5 Canadian mothers struggle with diaper need, and have had to cut back on basics – food, utilities such as heat or electricity, or even childcare – in order to provide enough diapers for their babies. With the support of partner organizations, grassroots efforts and moms across the country, the program will build awareness of the issue and work to create a long-term solution.

About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people -- nearly a quarter of the world's population -- trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 138-year history of innovation, visit www.Kimberly-Clark.com.