HappyBottoms, Kansas City's Diaper Bank
Nearly 1 in 2 families with young children do not have enough diapers to keep their children clean, dry, and healthy. (The National Diaper Bank Network Diaper Check 2023)
HappyBottoms, Kansas City's Diaper Bank wants to change that. Since 2009, they have been covering the amount of diapers a family is short each month, known as the diaper gap, in the Kansas City Metro Area.
Their mission is simple: to work with social service agency partners to provide diapers to families in need while raising awareness of diaper needs in the community.
An estimated 23,000 children in the Kansas City area are living in poverty and lack access to an adequate diaper supply. Since diapers are not covered by public assistance programs (such as food stamps or WIC), the cost of diapers is an out-of-pocket expense for families.
The result? Parents may find themselves forced to choose between buying diapers or paying the rent /bills, and some babies are forced to spend extended periods, sometimes days, in the same soiled diaper.
How does HappyBottoms help? They distribute diapers to families in the KC area through partner agencies, such as Operation Breakthrough, Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas/Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Hope House, and many many others.
HappyBottoms provides a monthly supply of 75 diapers or 50 training pants to children in need through over 60 social service agency sites.
Their distribution agencies provide healthcare, emergency assistance, education, childcare, and case management services to families in need. Their partner model has a ripple effect on families by providing access to other services that will help lift them out of poverty.
Through their Bundles of Joy Program, they partner with area hospitals to distribute diapers. They provide mothers and their newborns a one-time distribution of 75 diapers, reflecting newborns’ greater monthly need, along with information about our monthly agency program.
Visit the HappyBottoms website to learn more, donate, or volunteer.
Website: www.happybottoms.org