St. Louis Area Diaper Bank Launches
2014
We begin distributing 1,200 diapers annually with 1 partner
Our Story
The St. Louis Area Diaper Bank believes all of us: babies, children, and adults deserve to be clean and dry.
MISSION
Building healthy communities by ending diaper need and period poverty through access, education, and advocacy.
Purpose
St. Louis Area Diaper Bank strives to make a health, social and economic impact by not only providing diapers and period supplies but by connecting them to these resources and other resources through our partner agencies. Providing families in need with free diapers and period supplies influences a range of positive outcomes, such as positive changes in parental mood (reducing the risk of childhood abuse); improved child health and happiness (nurturing their ability to learn); and increased opportunities for childcare, work stability, and school attendance.
Vision
Everyone has the basic hygiene products needed to live healthy, dignified, and empowered lives.
Values
Collaboration | Change Leadership | Tenacity | Equity | Kindness | Advocacy | Inclusion | Strategy | Passion
Our Story
In 2014, a simple story on the radio changed everything. The founder of what would become the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank heard the director of the National Diaper Bank Network describe a hidden crisis: across the country, one in three mothers regularly struggled to provide enough diapers for their children. The images were stark—families forced to choose between food, medicine, and basic hygiene. Babies left in soiled diapers far too long. Parents forced to reuse diapers they couldn’t afford to replace. The need was urgent, and the founder knew something had to be done.
From that spark, the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank was born. What started as a mission to keep babies clean and dry quickly grew into a broader commitment to dignity and health for the whole community. In 2019, after a groundbreaking study on period poverty by Dr. Anne Sebert Kuhlman at Saint Louis University, the organization expanded its work to include menstrual supplies. The research revealed a stark reality: many low-income women and girls in St. Louis were unable to access the basic products they needed each month, and this too was affecting their health, education, and daily life.
Today, the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank works hand in hand with nonprofits, social service agencies, and faith-based organizations across the region. Through community drives, donations, and strategic partnerships, the organization ensures that families have access to diapers and period products when they need them most. Every box, every pack, every donation represents more than a product—it represents dignity, care, and the belief that no one, from babies to adults, should go without the essentials that allow them to live clean, healthy, and confident lives.