APPLETON - For more than a decade, United Way Fox Cities has worked with Kimberly-Clark and Valley Packaging Industries, now known as VPI Inc., to address the community’s diaper needs through its diaper bank.

But recently it saw a marked change. Demand grew. 

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kimberly-Clark Diaper Bank went from serving an average of 900 Fox Cities babies per month to 1,000 through supplying local partner agencies with disposable diapers to distribute to their clients. This need has continued to hold steady through this year’s National Diaper Need Awareness Week, which runs through Oct. 2. 

“We have been very busy packing diapers,” said Renae Verstegen, United Way Fox Cities' community engagement manager. 

Meghan Sherwood, United Way Fox Cities' director of community engagement, said she believes there are multiple reasons for this increased need, the largest being the disruption to work life the pandemic brought. 

“While many individuals were able to continue working during the pandemic and receive their regular pay, the families that are served through our partner agencies — especially those in the ALICE (asset-limited, income-constrained, employed) threshold — saw a decrease in their pay or their hours, meaning their budget had to be stretched even further,” Sherwood said. “Being able to supplement diaper costs during this time was crucial for many families who didn’t know what to expect with their employment.” 

She added that while society is finding a “new normal” as the pandemic persists, families are still recovering from such disruptions. 

For the St. Joseph Food Program, the early days of the pandemic actually brought fewer clients. Executive Director Monica Clare attributes it to the increase in safety nets. But as this assistance wanes and inflation rises, more Fox Cities families are seeking St. Joseph’s services. 

In August 2021, St. Joseph’s supplied 46 families, or 64 children, with diapers through the diaper bank. A year later, it was 93 families and 120 children. 

Clare said the Menasha-based nonprofit sees more clients during the weeks it distributes diapers, which occur once a month. 

“We see an increase in our numbers by about 40 families the week that diapers go out,” she said. “We have people coming specifically during diaper week because they know that they’re going to get diapers.”

Such noticeable increases in diaper need aren't confined to the Fox Valley. Before the pandemic, Huggies' Every Little Bottom survey found one in three families nationwide struggled with diaper need. In fall 2021, the National Diaper Bank Network, which includes the Kimberly-Clark Diaper Bank, said diaper need had increased about 70% network-wide that year. Some member diaper banks had a 500% increase during the pandemic, its chief executive explained to CBS MoneyWatch.  

As of last month, the Kimberly-Clark Diaper Bank has been operating out of a space better suited to fulfill this increased need: the United Way Fox Cities Hub. 

Before the Hub’s opening, the diaper bank was operating out of a corner of a wide-open VPI Inc. warehouse. There, diapers donated from Kimberly-Clark and the community would be stored and volunteers would repackage them in packs of 25 to 50, depending on the sizes. Once repacked, the diapers were given to partner organizations like St. Joseph to be distributed to those in need. 

With the help of local construction companies Boldt and Miron Construction, the diaper bank is now a separate facility in the warehouse. The Hub is complete with a conference room, isolated sterile packing area, increased physical space (which comes in handy for repacking, Sherwood said) and its own entrance so the diaper bank can operate outside of VPI’s hours. 

“We looked at how we were doing things, and just said, 'We could do this better.' We reached out to United Way with a concept for a new and improved Diaper Bank, and they loved the concept,” VPI President and CEO Tim Riebau said. “Together, we then brought our ideas to some key community leaders and businesses and, from there, it was like a runaway train.

"Why now? Because the need is greater than ever before, and why wait?” 

Josh Kilgas, the vice president of resource development at United Way Fox Cities, said the Hub isn't just a dedicated space for the diaper bank, but also other potential volunteer projects. He said it could be used to assemble "calm down kits" for children going through a crisis, period packs to address period poverty and could even be converted to assist with emergency efforts if needed. 

The Hub just received a special donation of diapers. Huggies, a Kimberly-Clark brand, gave 250,000 diapers to the Kimberly-Clark Diaper Bank, the Oshkosh Area United Way and the Brown County United way in honor of National Diaper Need Awareness Week. 

For young children, wearing soiled diapers for extended periods of time can lead to a myriad of medical issues, from skin disease to hepatitis A, according to United Way Fox Cities.

But, with costs rising, keeping children in clean diapers can be a struggle. 

The one or two packages of diapers per child Fox Cities families can receive from the diaper bank per month are to supplement this cost, not cover a families’ full diapering need. Per the price of Huggies Little Snugglers and Huggies Little Movers last week, one diaper bank package could save a family nearly $14 per child. 

Because most daycares require parents to supply a day’s worth of disposable diapers for their children, not having disposable diapers can serve as a barrier to economic advancement. 

“We hear from people who are trying to go to work that they can’t take their children to daycare because they don’t have the diapers to bring,” Clare said. “So, by having disposable diapers, that means people can also sustain themselves through work.” 

As a bonus, every diaper package the bank provides contains a Little Golden book. Sherwood said these books are supplied by a local printer who wishes to remain anonymous. 

“We know that families with diaper need are oftentimes also struggling with access to books,” Sherwood said. “This way, they can build their home libraries and really start their education on a solid foundation.”

There are many ways to support the Kimberly-Clark Diaper Bank:

For a list of organizations that distribute the diaper bank’s diapers, visit https://bit.ly/diaperbanksites. For those needing additional services, call 2-1-1. 

Madison Lammert is a Report for America corps member who covers child care and early education in Wisconsin at The Post-Crescent. Contact her at mlammert@gannett.com or 920-993-7108. Follow on Twitter @MadisonLammert0.

You can directly support her work with a tax-deductible donation online at http://bit.ly/Appleton_RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Post Crescent Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Dr, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.