Our Work

Fox Cities Diaper Bank

a member of the National Diaper Bank Network

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What is the Fox Cities Diaper Bank?

The mission of the Fox Cities Diaper Bank is to raise the community's awareness of the need for diapers to assist low income families in meeting their diaper needs.

The groundbreaking Every Little Bottom Study, commissioned by Kimberly-Clark's Huggies® brand reveals diaper need is a critical issue in the United States among low income families. The Huggies® research reinforced studies done by United Way Fox Cities’ Basic Needs & Self-Sufficiency Impact Area that diaper need is a real concern for many families in the Fox Cities. This need resulted in the decision to establish the Fox Cities Diaper Bank, an initiative of United Way Fox Cities, which launched in 2011. Locally, our diaper bank has distributed nearly 1.5 million diapers since the launch.

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Why is this important?

A healthy change of diapers costs $100.00/month or more for all ages. An infant uses up to 12 diapers a day, a toddler up to 8 per day. In low-income households a baby may be in a single diaper all day, increasing the risk of health problems, from skin disease to hepatitis. Access to a sufficient supply of diapers is essential for the health of our Fox Cities infants, but too many people do not have the resources to adequately provide for this basic need. In poor and low-income families a baby can spend a day or longer in one diaper, leading to potential health and abuse risks. Parents who cannot afford to provide required disposable diapers for child care, often leave the workforce until their children are out of diapers. Without enough diapers for routine changes, parents feel distressed and find the job of parenting more stressful.

The Facts

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What are we doing?

diaperUnited Way Fox Cities serves as the lead in the coordination/collection of diapers, which are then delivered to designated agencies, and distributed directly to families in need. The success of diaper drives conducted by local businesses, service organizations and Post-Crescent Media’s annual Dollars for Diapers Do It! Campaigns are vital to sustaining a true bank of diapers with adequate inventory. On an annual basis, the diaper bank is distributing over 400,000 diapers to local families in need. An average of 900 children receive diapers on a monthly basis.

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How does the Fox Cities Diaper Bank work?

The diaper bank collects, stores, and helps distribute diapers to struggling low-income families. Diapers are obtained through financial donations and local community diaper drives.

VPI LogoOur diaper donations are inventoried and stored at Valley Packaging Industries. Once the diapers are inventoried, they are transferred to local community agencies for distribution to other nonprofit agencies or directly to families and children in need.

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How can I get help from the Fox Cities Diaper Bank?

If you and your family reside in the Fox Cities service area, the Fox Cities Diaper Bank is a possible resource for your family. Distribution of the diapers collected and purchased through the Fox Cities Diaper Bank is currently done primarily through local agencies:

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At the present time, the Fox Cities Diaper Bank is stocked with sizes newborn and 1-6 diapers. Please check with the agencies because their internal inventory may have changed due to demand. Diapers are available at no cost to eligible families.

Please access the United Way 2-1-1 system which might have additional insight on other resources available to you.

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How can I help support the Fox Cities Diaper Bank?

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  • Make a financial donation: Checks can be made out to Fox Cities Diaper Bank and mailed to United Way Fox Cities, 1455 Midway Road, Menasha, WI 54952.
  • Contact us at 920-954-7210 to make an online gift.
  • Donate diapers. We will accept open packages.
  • Host a diaper drive.
  • Volunteer to repack diapers or help with inventory.
  • In lieu of gifts or favors for weddings, birthdays, and baby shower ask for diapers.
  • Spread the word to your family and friends about diaper need through email, blogs, Facebook and Twitter

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Host a Diaper Drive!

Download the United Way Fox Cities Diaper Drive toolkit:

  • Fox Cities Diaper Bank one-page informational fact sheet
  • Fox Cities Diaper Bank posters
  • Visit the National Diaper Bank Network "Host a Diaper Drive" toolkit for additional resources
  • Contact Rhonda Hannemann, Community Development Program Officer at United Way Fox Cities for more information.

Diaper Drive

Thank you to the companies, organizations and individuals who conducted diaper drives or collected donations to purchase diapers in 2015:

  • Affinity Health System
  • ARAMARK
  • Badger Globe Credit Union
  • Capital Credit Union
  • Century 21 Ace Realty
  • Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region
  • Evergreen Credit Union
  • First Presbyterian Church in Neenah
  • Fox Communities Credit Union
  • Galloway Company
  • Johnson Bank
  • Kimberly High School – “Change for Charity” Diaper Drive – Grant Verhagen, student
  • The Post Crescent/Gannett
  • Prospera Credit Union
  • St. Elizabeth Hospital and Employees Credit Union
  • Schenck SC
  • ThedaCare
  • Thrivent Federal Credit Union
  • TIDI Products
  • Unison Credit Union
  • Hilliary Wolff

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Dollars for Diapers Do It! Campaign

Dollars for Diapers 2016The Post-Crescent Media Do It! Community Challenge, which supports the Fox Cities Diaper Bank, launches each year on Mother's Day and runs to Father's Day.

  • The 2015 campaign presented by Kimberly-Clark Cares and Huggies reached its $60,000 goal, thanks to the generous donations of the community and partners: J. J. Keller Foundation, United Way Fox Cities, Thrivent Financial, Kimberly-Clark Cares and U.S. Venture, who each matched donations of $5,000. Together, Fox Communities, Prospera, Evergreen, Capital, Badger Globe, Thrivent Federal, Unison and St. Elizabeth Employees credit unions matched $10,000. The Post-Crescent Community Fund chipped in $5,000 at the end of the campaign to get reach the goal.
  • The 2014 Dollars for Diapers campaign surpassed its goal of $30,000, tallying more than $41,000. That sum resulted in more than 205,000 diapers.
  • In its four-year history, more than $193,000 has been raised.

The money raised each year helps the Diaper Bank keep diapers in a variety of sizes stocked, as opposed to relying on the physical donations that come in. Thank you to all who have donated, helping hundreds of struggling families through the Fox Cities Diaper Bank!

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#DiaperNeed Awareness Week

Diaper Need1 in 3 American families struggle with diaper need, not having enough diapers for their baby. Annually, Diaper Need Awareness Week (DNAW) draws national attention to this consequence of poverty.

A key activity of DNAW is the securing of state and local proclamations. Currently 23 Governors, 3 state legislatures and 77 municipalities have issued proclamations at the request of National Diaper Bank Network-member diaper banks and/or supporters. In 2015, Governor Scott Walker issued a proclamation in Wisconsin recognizing diaper need. The proclamations are featured on the www.diaperneed.org website.

You can help by donating dollars or diapers. You can also lead diaper drives, discuss child poverty issues, or talk #DiaperNeed on social media. Let us know what you will do to help keep babies clean, dry and healthy! Find out more at nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org/diaperawareness.

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Who serves on the Fox Cities Diaper Bank Committee?

Current Members:
  • Thrivent Financial: Jenni Eickelberg
  • Community First Credit Union: Beth Davis
  • Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs: Jenny Krikava
  • Affinity Health System: Jen Wagner-Mauk
  • Common Ground: Rev. Will Bloedow
  • Valley Packaging Industries: Steve Cromer and Robert Russo
  • The Salvation Army - Fox Cities: Patrick Leigl
  • St Joseph Food Program: Monica Clare and Karen Ziemke
  • Women's Fund for the Fox Valley Region: Rebecca Boulanger
  • Kimberly-Clark Corporation: Cheryl Brooks
  • United Way Fox Cities: Rhonda Hannemann, Nanci Micke
  • LEAVEN: Mary Parsons and Liz Schneider

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Links to additional diaper bank resources:

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Infographics and illustrations provided by the National Diaper Bank Network: NDBN Logo