Last Friday, Family Network NWA and the Diaper Collective cut the ribbon on a new warehouse. The space will allow the collective to increase its diaper distribution and aid more families in the region.
The Diaper Collective began when the Family Network received a large number of diaper requests every day during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-2020.
The more officials at the network explored this diaper need, the more they realized how underserved Arkansans were in early childhood sanitary care. Diaper Collective Executive Director Audrey Zavaleta says that prior to them, there were no nationally affiliated diaper banks in the state.
“So we were like, ‘Okay, we got to start filling this need somehow,’” Zavaleta said. We also realized that there's no federal safety net program. People are really familiar with WIC and Snap, but those don't cover diapers either. So families are kind of just left with zero support. So that's when we started the Diaper Collective.”
In September 2020, the diaper collective partnered with the Bread of Life Food Pantry to distribute donated diapers to families in need. A few months later, they became official members of the National Diaper Bank Network.
“Our vision was to get diapers to families that need them here in our community,” Zavaleta said. “We selected a partner agency model, which means we distribute diapers to food pantries and other nonprofits that work with families and children. So we moved to the warehouse to be able to be that distribution hub so that we can get more diapers out into the community.”
Last weekend, the warehouse was already filled with 214,000 diapers ready for distribution. Zavaleta says they distribute nearly 30,000 diapers every month and are in constant need of new donations. However, there are many ways you can help the Diaper Collective.
“One, donate diapers,” she said. “That's kind of a given, right? But like we're always accepting donations. So, on our website, you can actually even ship diapers to us directly through Amazon or Walmart or Walmart wishlist. And then we also have a need for volunteers. So volunteers can come help us wrap diapers to get them ready for distribution. The other thing is just to help us spread awareness about diaper need. A lot of people don't really know added unless you have kids, it's something you just don't really think about. But we actually are just helping to spread awareness about it. Families don't have any other way to get this basic necessity for their child. And so just help us spread awareness.”
Those in need can visit their website to find a complete list of nonprofit locations where diapers can be found.
You can also visit our website for more information on Family Network NWA and the Diaper Collective.
