Friends of the Diaper Bank -
Last year was hard. As a working mother, I found it challenging juggling work, child care, and Zoom school. That said, I know my family and I were one of the lucky ones. We did not have to say goodbye to any of our loved ones, nor did we find ourselves without work. Since the pandemic began, I have spoken many times with families where both parents have lost their jobs, with single mothers who were laid off, and even with seniors looking for help as they stretch a very fixed income. Between the news cycle and these very personal stories, there was so much to be down about, but despite the state of things, I saw many reasons to stay positive. Everywhere I looked, I saw so many individual heroes getting involved with various causes in order to help others. For us at the Diaper Bank, we saw so many of you holding diaper drives, volunteering in our warehouse, spreading awareness about who we are, or making a first time donation. This collective energy is what helped us distribute over 615,000 diapers and 226,000 wipes last year. Of course this couldn’t have been done without our incredible partner agencies who were on the front lines of helping families every day or without the businesses who serve as diaper drop off locations for us. I was especially grateful for the Diaper Bank team - Ginger Clayton, Susan Haugland, Brace Higgins, Sara Clayton plus the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona who serves as our fiscal sponsor. I was grateful for the company Elontec for providing us with transportation, warehouse space, and so much more. The only reason we exist and can do what we do is because of all these wonderful individuals, groups, and businesses. In 2021, we are going to need all this momentum and more.
While we see glimmers of hope this year in our battle against COVID-19, the truth is the pandemic has left a destructive path in our economy. Many Arizona families will not come out of the storm for some time. We plan to work hard every day to help raise enough diapers to meet the demands of our partner agencies. If you got involved with us last year, I ask you to give back again this year to keep our work going. If you are new to our cause, I welcome you, and I urge you to get involved. Sign up for our emails or follow us on Facebook or Instagram. Make a one-time donation on our site, or better yet, set up a recurring donation. A $5 or $10 per month donation goes a long way to helping us buy diapers for families. Maybe you want a more hands on way to get involved, and hosting a diaper drive or buying physical diaper donations is preferable. You can shop our Amazon Wishlist or drop off diapers at one of our many drop off locations across town. And as always, you may always contact me directly with questions or suggestions at gabi@diaperbankaz.org.
I am hopeful for better things to come in 2021 and excited to see how we come together to spread a little love to those who need it most. I’m wishing you a healthy and happy new year!
Gabi Young
President
Last year was hard. As a working mother, I found it challenging juggling work, child care, and Zoom school. That said, I know my family and I were one of the lucky ones. We did not have to say goodbye to any of our loved ones, nor did we find ourselves without work. Since the pandemic began, I have spoken many times with families where both parents have lost their jobs, with single mothers who were laid off, and even with seniors looking for help as they stretch a very fixed income. Between the news cycle and these very personal stories, there was so much to be down about, but despite the state of things, I saw many reasons to stay positive. Everywhere I looked, I saw so many individual heroes getting involved with various causes in order to help others. For us at the Diaper Bank, we saw so many of you holding diaper drives, volunteering in our warehouse, spreading awareness about who we are, or making a first time donation. This collective energy is what helped us distribute over 615,000 diapers and 226,000 wipes last year. Of course this couldn’t have been done without our incredible partner agencies who were on the front lines of helping families every day or without the businesses who serve as diaper drop off locations for us. I was especially grateful for the Diaper Bank team - Ginger Clayton, Susan Haugland, Brace Higgins, Sara Clayton plus the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona who serves as our fiscal sponsor. I was grateful for the company Elontec for providing us with transportation, warehouse space, and so much more. The only reason we exist and can do what we do is because of all these wonderful individuals, groups, and businesses. In 2021, we are going to need all this momentum and more.
While we see glimmers of hope this year in our battle against COVID-19, the truth is the pandemic has left a destructive path in our economy. Many Arizona families will not come out of the storm for some time. We plan to work hard every day to help raise enough diapers to meet the demands of our partner agencies. If you got involved with us last year, I ask you to give back again this year to keep our work going. If you are new to our cause, I welcome you, and I urge you to get involved. Sign up for our emails or follow us on Facebook or Instagram. Make a one-time donation on our site, or better yet, set up a recurring donation. A $5 or $10 per month donation goes a long way to helping us buy diapers for families. Maybe you want a more hands on way to get involved, and hosting a diaper drive or buying physical diaper donations is preferable. You can shop our Amazon Wishlist or drop off diapers at one of our many drop off locations across town. And as always, you may always contact me directly with questions or suggestions at gabi@diaperbankaz.org.
I am hopeful for better things to come in 2021 and excited to see how we come together to spread a little love to those who need it most. I’m wishing you a healthy and happy new year!
Gabi Young
President
I also wanted to share with you my favorite picture of 2020 - a mother receiving diapers for her baby from Hope Women's Center - one of our 27 partner agencies last year. This mom not only was in search of diapers for her child but also found early motherhood to be very isolating (as any new mom can remember!). Not only did she get help with diapers from Hope Women's Center, but she also took advantage of the many parenting classes and workshops provided by the organization.
Photo: Sadie Such Photography and Films
