St. Louis, Mo: St. Louis Area Diaper Bank recently received a $20,000 grant from the St. Louis Community Foundation and the Black Communities Investment Initiative Advisory Committee, which is funded through two component funds of the St. Louis Community Foundation:  the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund and the Black-Led Nonprofit and Community Fund supported by Facebook, Inc.  The Diaper Bank will use the grant to provide diaper and period supplies to the St. Louis area.

Founded in 2014, the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank collects, stores, and distributes 250,000 free diapers per month to struggling families through a network of 56 community, nonprofit, educational and health care partners serving low-income women and children.  These diapers are obtained via local diaper drives, in-kind donations, and by purchasing diapers directly with donated funds. 

To date more than 5.1 million diapers have been distributed in St. Louis including nearly 900,000 diapers during the height of the pandemic.  The Diaper Bank offers both emergency and long-term diaper distribution.  This service is a much-needed resource since government programs – including food stamps and WIC – do not provide funding for diapers.  Diapers cannot be obtained with food stamps and are classified with cigarettes, alcohol, and pet food as disallowed purchases.

“As a nonprofit, we rely on generous grants like this to continue serving our community,” said St. Louis Area Diaper Bank Executive Director Muriel Smith.  “We appreciate the St. Louis Community Foundation and their partnership with organizations like ours that make a difference in the lives of St. Louis families.”