Diaper Need Awareness Week 2019

National Diaper Need Awareness Week draws attention to the issue of diaper poverty in the United States. According to the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN), one in three U.S. families struggles to provide enough diapers to keep a baby or toddler clean, dry and healthy. Babies without enough diapers are exposed to more health risks and are less likely to be accepted at daycares, which may leave parents unable to work.

In 2012, the NDBN launched National Diaper Need Awareness Week to provide individuals, organizations, communities and elected officials an opportunity to engage in real talk and simple actions around diaper affordability. This year, Domtar is honored to participate.

Our Delaware, Ohio, Personal Care facility manufactures our baby diaper products and will welcome Mayor Carolyn Kay Riggle, who will officially proclaim the week of Sept. 23 as Diaper Need Awareness Week in the city of Delaware.

“We are pleased that Mayor Riggle is joining us to commemorate this important week,” says Craig Timm, Domtar’s regional communications manager. “We are proud members of the Delaware community, and we enjoy opening our doors to show our guests what happens every day at Domtar.”

In addition, Domtar Personal Care is the platinum sponsor at this year’s Diaper Bank of North Carolina charity luncheon. To further assist the diaper bank, colleagues from our Raleigh, North Carolina, Personal Care headquarters will spend the day at the diaper bank wrapping packages of diapers and preparing them for shipment.

“This is always our biggest, most fun event,” says Savannah Socha, Domtar Personal Care project manager. “Our employees are passionate about our products, so getting involved with a diaper bank makes our job seem even more personal to us. The mission of the diaper bank is so aligned with our values, and we love getting involved in our local community. Even though we typically leave the event sweaty from our hard work, it’s a great team-building opportunity, and we look forward to it every year.”

Marcy Lemeiux, vice president of finance at Domtar Personal Care, sits on the board of the Diaper Bank of North Carolina. She wants everyone to have access to basic hygiene products.

“As a mom of two, when I hear the staggering statistics on the number of families that struggle to afford diapers, it is heart-rending. I am happy to do all I can to help give back to the community,” says Lemeiux. “Domtar Personal Care’s belief is that everyone deserves personal care, and this goes hand-in-hand with the Diaper Bank of North Carolina’s vision that every family in North Carolina will have access to basic necessities to support their dignity, health and quality of life.”

Comfort and Care Diaper Assistance Program

As a producer of absorbent hygiene products, including adult incontinence products and baby diapers, Domtar is committed to addressing diaper poverty through its Comfort and Care Diaper Assistance Program. This initiative was born of our spirit of caring and desire to help alleviate the financial and emotional burden on families who can’t afford diapers for their children or their aging parents and grandparents.

“Our Comfort and Care program is one of the Domtar programs I’m most proud of,” says Heather Stowe, Domtar corporate social responsibility manager. “The program has had such an immediate, tangible benefit for families in our communities. From the diaper kits that we pack multiple times a year to the various diaper donations we make locally and globally in our communities, I’m honored to be a part of the efforts.”

Help Raise Diaper Need Awareness

Are you interested in helping to reduce diaper poverty and raise diaper need awareness? Here is how you can help:

• Host a diaper drive.
• Volunteer at a local diaper bank.
• Request proclamations from elected officials.
• Engage in real talk on social media via the hashtags #EndDiaperNeed and #BasicsArentBasic.
• Make a donation to NDBN and/or a local diaper program.