Volunteer hands passing a sealed bundle of diapers to a parent at a community center, waist-height shot in natural light

40

diapers per bundle

counted by hand, every time

Community Diaper Bank

No baby should go without. No parent should have to choose.

1 in 3U.S. families experience
diaper need

Swaddle is a community warehouse where donated diapers move in pallets and leave in carefully counted bundles — straight into the arms of families who needed them yesterday.

847,000+

Diapers distributed

23

Partner agencies

Free

Always, no exceptions

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Chapter One

The problem most people have never thought about.

Diapers are not covered by WIC. They are not covered by SNAP. There is no federal program. A family with a newborn needs up to 12 diapers a day — that is a cost that falls entirely on them.

Annual Cost

$1,000+

per child, per year

A family spending the national average on diapers pays more than their monthly grocery bill. For a minimum-wage worker, that is 14% of take-home pay.

The Coverage Gap

Zero

federal programs cover diapers

WIC covers formula and food. SNAP covers groceries. Medicaid covers healthcare. Diapers fall through every gap in the safety net — by design, not accident.

Tax Burden

33

states still tax diapers as a luxury good

CA
TX
NY
FL
WA
OH
CO
GA
MA
AZ
MN
NC
NJ
VA
IL
PA
ExemptTaxed

Diaper Need

5.2M

U.S. children affected

Diaper need cuts across geography and race. It is concentrated in single-parent households, households where a parent lost income during pregnancy, and rural communities with no nearby discount retailers.

Health Consequences

What happens when diapers run out

🔴

UTI risk

Reused diapers hold bacteria for hours

🔴

Diaper rash infections

Can require antibiotic treatment

🔴

Mental health impact

Caregiver stress spikes measurably

🔴

Childcare exclusion

83% of centers require a full daily supply

Childcare & Work

83%

of childcare centers require a full daily supply

Parents who cannot bring enough diapers are called to pick up their child early — or turned away entirely. Diaper need is a jobs issue. It is a poverty trap with a $0.25 solution.

Chapter Two

The mission, in motion.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, volunteers sort donated diapers by size. Every Friday, they leave in bundles of forty. The math is simple. The logistics are not.

Volunteers sorting and counting diapers on long tables at a community warehouse, natural light from windows
Sorting Day

Sorting day at the warehouse — every diaper counted twice before it leaves.

How It Works

Pallets in. Bundles out. Dignity, always.

Donors give by the case. Corporations give by the pallet. We sort by size, check for damage, count to forty, and seal. Each bundle goes to a partner agency, and each partner knows the families by name.

Shelves at a partner agency stocked with sealed diaper bundles, organized by size with handwritten labels
Partner Shelf

Partner agency shelves stocked for the week — families pick up without paperwork.

Distribution Routes

This week's deliveries

Family Resource Center

4.2 mi

120 bundles

WIC Office — East Side

7.8 mi

80 bundles

Community Health Clinic

2.1 mi

60 bundles

School Social Worker Hub

5.5 mi

40 bundles
Close-up of sealed diaper bundles stacked in a cardboard box ready for distribution, labeled with size and count
Ready to Go

Sealed and counted — 40 diapers, every bundle, no exceptions.

Partner Network

23 agencies. One county. Growing.

We work through existing trust — WIC offices, community health clinics, school social workers, family resource centers. Families who already know these places don't need to find us. We find them.

Chapter Three

The vision — and what we've already won.

Every pallet that arrives is a win. Every legislative hearing where diaper need is named is a win. Here is where we stand.

Diapers distributed — 2026

0

total diapers

0

families served

0+

partner agencies

0

per bundle, always

Updated weekly · Last updated Feb 26, 2026

Achieved

Legislative Win

Diaper sales tax exemption passed in 3 new states

In 2025, advocacy from diaper banks like Swaddle contributed to exemption bills passing in Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Virginia. Families in those states now save up to $80 per year.

In Progress

Warehouse Expansion

Second warehouse — south county

We have secured a lease on a 4,200 sq ft space in the south county industrial district. Build-out begins in April. Capacity will double by June 2026.

Progress68%
2026 Goal

2026 Goal

One million diapers in a single year

We have never done it. We are 85% of the way there. Every donation this quarter pushes us closer to a number that will become a new floor, not a ceiling.

Progress85%
In Progress

Policy Advocacy

Federal diaper assistance bill — markup scheduled

The Diaper Act of 2025 has cleared committee. It would create a federal program allowing SNAP benefits to be used for diapers. Swaddle submitted public comment in support.

Progress42%
In Progress

Corporate Partners

3 new corporate diaper drives launching Q2

Partnerships with Midwest Pediatrics, a regional grocery chain, and a local tech company will bring an estimated 60,000 additional diapers this spring.

Progress30%

Long-Term Vision

A county where no family rations diapers

The end state is not a warehouse. It is a county where diaper need is so well-covered that we can shrink. We measure success by how small we can become.

Voices

The people who make this real.

Parents who needed help. Donors who didn't know help was needed. Volunteers who count by hand because the families deserve it.

Parent
I didn't know this existed. My caseworker mentioned Swaddle on a Thursday and I was there Friday morning. I left with two bundles and cried in my car for ten minutes. Not sad crying.
Young woman with natural hair smiling softly, photographed outdoors

Destiny M.

Mother of two, south county

Donor
I thought WIC covered everything. I genuinely did not know diapers weren't included until my neighbor told me about Swaddle. I ordered a case the same night.
Middle-aged man with glasses and a relaxed expression

Brian Kowalski

Donor, Naperville IL

Volunteer
We count every single one. Not because we don't trust each other — because the families who receive them deserve to know someone counted. It matters that someone counted.
Latina woman in her forties, warm expression, photographed indoors

Rosa Delgado-Herrera

Volunteer coordinator, 3 years

Parent
My daughter's daycare was going to send her home. I couldn't get to the store before they opened. Swaddle's partner at the health clinic had bundles ready. She stayed. I went to work.
Black woman with braided hair, confident expression, photographed in natural light

Tanisha W.

Mother, working two jobs

Donor
My company did a diaper drive last spring. I expected it to feel like a box-checking exercise. It didn't. The Swaddle team came and told us exactly where every case went. That changed how I think about giving.
South Asian woman with dark hair and professional attire, smiling

Priya Nambiar

HR Manager, corporate donor