Logo for the Brooklyn Diaper Project with pink text and a vertical line, with the words Brooklyn, Diaper, and Project arranged vertically.

The diaper hub program

Filling the gap won’t solve this problem.

47% of families experience diaper need, yet diapers cannot be purchased with SNAP or WIC benefits. Diaper need is a public health crisis for babies and a mental health issue for their parents and caregivers.

Diaper banks and other nonprofits work tirelessly to try and meet the needs of families. Stretched donation dollars go between operations and other necessities and are often in competition with one another to strengthen the size of their donor base. Their goal: to secure enough supplies to meet needs of the families they serve.

Diaper need is a problem that stretches beyond the capacity of diaper banks. While diaper banks are meeting critical need at this time, they are ultimately structured to perpetuate the cycle- not end it. We need to break the mold and insist on something radical: that diapers should be as easily accessible and affordable as toilet paper in public restrooms.

A smiling baby with dark curly hair sitting on the floor against a plain background, wearing only a diaper.
Multiple packs of Pampers baby diapers, including size 2 and 3, stored on a floor corner, with an orange container and a box nearby.

WHY?

47% of families regularly struggle to afford an adequate suply of diapers to keep their children clean and healthy, but diapers cannot be purchased using Medicaid, WIC, or SNAP.

Diaper need is a public health crisis for babies and a mental health crisis for caregivers.

Map showing the intersection of 8th Street and 6th Avenue with nearby landmarks including Prospect Park YMCA, Brooklyn Public Library - Park Slope Branch, P.S. 039 Henry Bristow, United Temple of Park Slope, and Camp Friendship.

WHERE TO DONATE?

Camp Friendship

339 8th St

Brooklyn, NY 11215

Two women wearing masks smiling indoors, with one holding a pack of adult diapers labeled 'BAMBO,' in a busy community center or gymnasium setting.

WHo?

Any parents or donors who have partial or full packs of diapers or what to buy some to fill a hub can donate!

All parents or caregivers are welcome to take what they need and give what they can!

GET INVOLVED

The Brooklyn Diaper Project was founded in hopes that in working to solve diaper need we could move beyond the traditional philanthropic model of charity and reconsider the structural causes of diaper need in our community. We believe that everyone has a fundamental right to access whatever hygiene products they need and that the solution to the lack of access in our community is ultimately found by involving community leaders and members in the process.

Are you involved with an organization that does outreach in your community? Would you like to host a diaper hub on location, supplying necessary hygiene supplies to families? We're currently looking for food banks, soup kitchens, shelters and similar organizations to partner with to expand the reach of our hub project.

Email us to learn more if your organization is interested in hosting a hub!

We use donated funds to help keep the hubs full. But the hub project is, fundamentally, modeled on mutual aid projects, and designed to encourage folks to give what they can and take what they need, diaper drives are a key component of our project. Are you a teacher, member of a local softball league, or other community organizer who would like to help but don't know how?

We'd love to help you organize a diaper drive or fundraising effort!

Stack of folded disposable baby diapers with colorful patterns.
Group of children and a woman wearing masks, holding boxes of Huggies diapers, sitting and standing against a plain wall.
A woman in a purple shirt and black cap standing in front of a shelf with packages of Bambo brand diapers, pointing at a specific box.
Two women exchanging stacks of paper money outdoors near a brick wall and boxes, with one woman smiling and the other handing over the money.
Two women wearing black masks and winter clothing stand behind tables with boxes of Bambo Nature diapers. The woman on the left has a name tag that says "LAUREN" and is wearing a maroon jacket and a beanie. The woman on the right is dressed in a blac
Four people standing outdoors in front of a tree, smiling. Two women, one young girl, and one young boy. The woman on the right is holding a bag of clothes; the woman on the left is wearing glasses and colorful scrubs.
Two smiling young women sitting at a table outdoors, wearing white shirts with a logo, surrounded by papers, pens, and personal items, participating in an event or registration process.

The Diaper Hub Project

One of the ways we're working to end diaper need is through the diaper hubs project. Encouraged by the success of community fridges and similar projects during the pandemic, we imagined the possibility of making diapers freely and publicly accessible to all in community spaces. In May 2021, District 39 voters in Brooklyn used their voice on their participatory budgeting ballots in agreement, selecting the hub pilot project. Unfortunately, the promised grant money never came through, but we kept our pledge to New York and approached three existing community organizations whose leaders shared our faith in mutual aid and made arrangements to host our 'diaper hubs' across Brooklyn.

That was three years ago. Using funds raised through donations and from our foundation we've kept the hubs stocked with diapers, but also encourage our neighbors to, in the spirit of mutual aid, fill them with any extra diapers they may have leftover after a child grows out of a size or is potty-trained. And recently we installed our first upgraded hubs at Camp Friendship in Brooklyn! By sourcing former newspaper bins—with added graphics in two languages installed by our own team—we're doing our best for both the environment and our neighbors.

We hope that the community diaper hubs stand as a visual reminder of what mutual aid can achieve, a symbol of hope, and a space where parents in need can always receive hygiene supplies.

Two donation bins for diapers, one with packs of Pampers diapers visible inside, labeled 'Give what you can, Take what you need,' located outdoors against a brick wall.