GREATER DC DIAPER BANK

Greater DC Diaper Bank (GDCDB) was founded in 2010 to support the ever-growing number of vulnerable families raising infants and toddlers in the Washington, DC region. We work each year toward three primary organizational objectives: 1) improve the physical and mental health of babies and parents living in poverty; 2) build the capacity of social service agencies to support these low-income families; and 3) educate the broader community about the impact of poverty on families in the DC area.

We believe that no one should ever have to make the choice between food or diapers, but also that diapers are only the beginning of what struggling families need: these families often need comprehensive social services that address a range of issues from food and diapers to medical and mental health. That’s why we partner with organizations across the region that offer whole family care.

We believe collaboration is essential for systemic change, and a key part of our mission is to support partners in accomplishing theirs. Our partners use our products in a range of ways, including attracting new moms and dads, retaining existing clients, and as incentives to attend classes and programs. In 2020, 70% of Community Partners reported that without GDCDB products their organization would not be able to serve clients as effectively; 98% of our Community Partners indicated that offering GDCDB products helps build trust with clients.

In the fall of 2020, we began a strategic planning process that will help us establish appropriate focus and goals for the coming years, building on our recent warehouse expansion and the exponential we saw in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

GDCDB secures, stocks, and supplies the reliable source of diapers and baby care items that families need. In collaboration with our partner network, we execute the following programs:

• Diaper Collection and Distribution: GDCDB leverages our extensive network to secure diapers from multiple sources: in-kind donations from families and corporations and discounted purchases from wholesalers. We stock and bundle these diapers in our warehouse with the support of volunteers, distributing over 500,000 diapers each month through a network of over 70 partners.

• The Baby Pantry: GDCDB stocks formula, wipes, baby food, and often-overlooked hygiene and personal care products for babies and adults, distributing $30,000 worth of items each month.

• The Nursery Project: Launched in October 2017, this program promotes safe sleep, safe play, and safe travel by distributing bundles of baby gear through our existing network of community partners. To date, we have distributed $301,446 worth of products.

• The Monthly: Like diapers, period products are necessary, expensive, not covered by public assistance, and rarely provided by social service agencies in a systematic manner. Since the program’s start in November 2016, we have distributed over 1,049,542 period products through our partners.

• Emergency Assistance: In January 2019 we went outside our normal distribution model to directly support the families impacted by the government shutdown. In 2020, we launched Diaper Need Hubs to provide a one-stop shop for essentials to families in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, GDCDB brings in more than 1,000 community members to volunteer at our warehouse each year in tasks ranging from stocking and inventory to communications and shelving construction. GDCDB volunteers are essential to our operations and each trip to our warehouse educates them about the issues so many of our neighbors face and fosters a passion for working to address the underlying challenges creating such poverty and inequity in our community.

We partner with over 70 social service agencies to distribute our diapers efficiently and to the families most in need; these partners use our products as gateway resources to more deeply and consistently engage clients with the other support services they offer, easing the burden of poverty in critical ways. In 2019, we served more than 10,000 families with 2 million diapers. As the COVID pandemic crippled our local economy and thrust families into new or intensified economic uncertainty, our model proved to be flexible, scalable, and responsive in critical ways: in 2020, we distributed 7 million diapers to 25,000 families.

GDCDB also raises community awareness of the needs of our region’s most vulnerable children. We take pride in being a family-friendly space, with a child play space, a nursing chair, a highchair, and—of course—a changing table. Through our innovative Ambassador program, 200 volunteers open up their homes and businesses as designated diaper drop-off locations around the region, making it easy for families to donate and allowing our Ambassadors to serve as our voice in their neighborhoods. Finally, we leverage our technical expertise in diaper need to advocate for low-income families in local and national press and among regional policymakers.

None of our work would be possible without generous support from individuals, businesses, and foundations. In 2019, we surpassed $1 million in financial contributions for the first time. As 2020 closes, we are set to more than double that amount – a testament to the strength of our community and the recognition of the crucial role GDCDB play in supporting families, especially those affected by the pandemic this year. We are particularly proud to have raised nearly $240,000 from more than 2,000 new donors this year.

Since our early days as a tenant of the Capitol Area Food Bank we have grown exponentially in response to the needs from our partners and the larger DC area community. The following milestones represent that steady and thoughtful growth over the past 8 years:

• 2013: Established our own warehouse.
• 2014: Started a Montgomery County, Maryland-certified food pantry to distribute formula, baby food, wipes, and critical hygiene items for both babies and caregivers.
• 2015: Hired our first paid staff.
• 2016: Launched The Monthly to provide much in-demand period products.
• 2017: Began the Nursery Project, supplying baby gear for safe sleep, safe travel, and safe play.
• 2019: Piloted emergency response services to help families affected by the January government shutdown; expanded warehouse space by 50%.
• 2020: Marked our 10th anniversary; scaled diaper distribution 200% in a matter of weeks to support families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since 2010, we have distributed 15 million diapers and enough formula to fill 270,000 8oz bottles, and more than a $2 million worth of other hygiene items.

Our primary goal for 2021 and beyond is to expand our presence across the region so we can reach more families in need. Last year, our partner survey provided data that will help determine where beneficiaries reside and where there are gaps in coverage. We learned where we could be doing more, particularly in Northern Virginia and Prince George’s County, and we are using our survey data to conduct targeted outreach to recruit new partners to fill those gaps.