The Junior League of New Orleans founded its Diaper Bank in 2014 to help families from the bottom up. Leveraging the strength of our entire membership, JLNO’s goal was to raise our community’s awareness of the “diaper need,” host diaper drives, buy diapers at a highly discounted rate, provide volunteer support for sorting, packing, and distributing diapers, and storing diapers. Ten years later, we are still supplying partners in our area with diapers and added period supplies and adult incontinence products to our inventory.
Imagine having to choose between diapering and feeding your child. Imagine not being able to go to work or school because you don’t have diapers to send with your child to daycare or an early education program. Imagine your child having to spend from dawn to dusk in the same diaper because you don’t have the money buy the six to ten diapers she needs in a day.
What you are imagining is the reality for one in three families in the U.S. who struggles to provide their baby with clean, dry diapers. Those experiencing this “diaper need” have difficulty with stress management and depression, which in turn negatively affects their children’s health and development.
How You Can Help:
Donate Diapers. Drop-off disposable diapers of any size, including open packages, at JLNO Headquarters, 4319 Carondelet St., New Orleans, LA 70118, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am until 4:30pm.
Host a Diaper Drive. Motivate your school, business, church, or social group to collect and purchase diapers.
Purchase from Amazon or another retailer. Visit the retailer website to buy and ship directly to us.
Donate Dollars for Diapers. Make a financial contribution on our website or by mail to JLNO Headquarters.
Share Information. Use social media or other digital platforms to share facts about diaper need and raise our community’s awareness.
Volunteer. While our Diaper Bank is run by JLNO members, we often love meeting and having help from the public. Click here to complete a form to indicate your interest in volunteering to sort diapers at our facility in Elmwood.
One in four women have struggled to purchase period products in the past year due to lack of income. As a natural extension of our Diaper Bank, the Junior League of New Orleans has joined the Alliance for Period Supplies to help get period products to individuals in need.
In addition to providing period products through our distribution partners, this program endeavors to raise awareness about “period poverty” and educate people on the barriers faced by women and girls unable to afford feminine products. Just like women can’t go to work or attend school if babies can’t be in diapers at daycare, women can’t work if they don’t have the supplies they need on a monthly basis.
How You Can Help:
Donate Period Supplies. Drop-off period supplies at JLNO Diaper Bank Warehouse 1109 North Al Davis Road, Unit A New Orleans, LA 70123, or any of our Diaper Bank collection locations.
Make a Financial Contribution. Make a financial contribution on our website or by mail to JLNO Headquarters.
Purchase from Amazon or another retailer. Visit the retailer website to buy and ship directly to us.
Host a Period Supply Drive. Motivate your school, business, church, or social group to collect and purchase period supplies.
Share Information. Use social media or other digital platforms to share facts about period poverty and raise our community’s awareness.
Become a Distribution Partner. Work directly with JLNO to distribute period supplies to the community.
FACTS ABOUT PERIOD POVERTY
- 1 in 4 women struggled to purchase period products within the past year due to lack of income.
- 1 in 5 low-income women report missing work, school or similar events due to lack of access to period supplies.
- Lack of access to period supplies is linked to using substitute products (toilet tissue or socks), stretching product usage, and missing important events.
- An overwhelming 88% of women agree that period products are a basic necessity.
- Only 4% of women are aware of a local resource where free or reduced cost period supplies are available.
- State and federal safety-net programs cannot be used to purchase period supplies.
Source: 2018 U by Kotex survey conducted with YouGov