Mission Statement
Diaper Bank of the Ozarks keeps babies healthy and happy by providing access to diapers, basic needs and educational resources to families in need in our community during pregnancy and beyond while increasing diaper need awareness.
Vision
As champions for change, the Diaper Bank of the Ozarks strives to reduce Diaper Need from One in Three to None in Three through community collaboration, nondiscrimination, respect, and integrity.
A Word From Our Executive Director:
At the Diaper Bank of the Ozarks (DBO), our overall purpose is to help families who struggle with what’s called “Diaper Need.”
Diaper Need is defined by the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN), located in Connecticut, as a “lack of sufficient supply of diapers to keep an infant or child clean, dry, and healthy.” As an NDBN member and champions of change, the DBO helps keep babies healthy and happy, and as a result, we make the future brighter for families across the greater Ozarks region.
- From 2012 – 2018, we donated almost three million disposable diapers to help babies.
- Our current distribution has topped one million diapers annually, helping approximately 350 babies daily
- We advocate self-reliance through our Cloth Diaper Loan Program, which to date has helped over 500 babies, and saved each family approximately $2,000 through the potty-training years.
- We also distribute adult briefs, and period products.
- We impact 59 counties (and growing) through 104 collaborative partnerships with non-profit agencies and daycares that directly serve families who struggle with purchasing life’s necessities of food, shelter, medication, and personal hygiene products.
- Some Ozark counties sadly reveal poverty rates at 20-30 percent, according to the US Census Bureau.
- A clean diaper does more than you think. Families have reported less stress and depression, happier babies with less diaper rash, more sleeping for everyone, and continued employment for the caregiver.
There are no government “Diaper Stamps” like there are “Food Stamps,” and Food Stamps are not intended for diaper purchase.
It is easy to see how our mission is vital. We succeed with optimal impact through donations and the spirit of volunteerism.
Consider helping now by volunteering your time, donating supplies, or making a monetary contribution to the Diaper Bank of the Ozarks.
One dollar can diaper a baby for a day, and the impact is enormous.
Sincerely,
Lori “Mic” McLerran
