Mission Statement
The Nappie Project is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit dedicated to ensuring that children in Loveland, Ft. Collins, and surrounding communities have an adequate supply of diapers to remain clean, dry and healthy. We are committed to raising awareness of diaper need and its impact on families.
Diaper Need is the lack of a sufficient supply of diapers to keep a child clean, dry, and healthy.
Our Story
The Nappie Project was started in late December 2015 by a retired social worker, Jan Touslee, and Loveland pediatrician, Rachel Konda-Sundheim, who had experienced first-hand the struggles of many families to keep their children adequately supplied with diapers, and knew all too well the impact of Diaper Need.
Jan and her husband began volunteering at the Food Bank for Larimer County in Loveland in 2014 and learned quickly how many families were struggling to keep their children in diapers. In that first year, Jan and her husband provided over 11,000 diapers to clients at the Food Bank in Loveland, which was not even close to meeting the need. (A Feeding America Executive Summary found that 48% of Food Bank recipients delay changing their baby’s diaper and 32% reuse one due to lack of sufficient supply.) It quickly became evident that a formal process would be needed to expand and sustain the burgeoning “Nappie Project”. Late in November 2015 Jan met Rachel, a pediatrician who shared the vision of bringing a diaper bank to Loveland. And so the journey began. The Nappie Project became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization on December 28, 2015.
According to the National Diaper Bank Network:
-1 in 3 families struggle with diaper need.
-5.2 million babies and toddlers under the age of 3 live in poor and low-income families.
-Government safety-net programs do not recognize diapers as a basic need.
-Diapers cannot be obtained with food stamps, and are classified with cigarettes, alcohol and pet food as disallowed purchases.
-Diaper need impacts the physical, mental and economic well-being of children and parents. Studies show that mothers equate not having enough diapers to not having enough food for their children, leading to a feelings of inadequacy as a parent and even depression.
-Most child care centers require parents to provide a day’s supply of disposable diapers (four to six changes during the day).
-Many parents cannot go to work or school if they can’t leave their babies at child care.
-Infants require up to 12 diapers per day, at a cost of $70 to $80 per month per baby.
-The poorest 20 percent of Americans who buy diapers spend nearly 14 percent of their post tax income on diapers. (source: Center for Economic and Policy Research, November 23, 2015)
As a Diaper Bank, The Nappie Project does not distribute diapers directly to families, but distributes through a network of partner agencies in Ft. Collins and Loveland. In our first year, The Nappie Project limited our focus to Loveland and set a goal of distributing 50,000 diapers. By the end of 2016, we exceeded that goal by over 12,000 diapers and had expanded our network of partner agencies to include Ft. Collins agencies.
As of January 2019 we have 12 partner agencies, and in July 2019 we surpassed a half million diapers distributed free of charge to families in need in our communities. Watch our home page for the latest distribution numbers as they will continue to grow! The need is huge-exacerbated by the cost of living along the Front Range, and the fact that child care is expensive. Colorado is ranked 7th out of 50 states, and the district of Columbia, for the most expensive child care. *We know we are not fully meeting the need that exists.
The Nappie Project is funded by donations and grants. Diapers donated through Diaper Drives accounted for about 40% of diapers distributed. Cash donations permit us to purchase diapers in sizes that are in high demand but less frequently donated, especially sizes 5 and 6 and Pull-Ups. Because of special programs made available to us as a non-profit, we are able to purchase diapers at a significant discount-maximizing donated funds.
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