By Shayna Mace
One dollar doesn’t buy a lot these days — but it can do a whole lot of good if you donate to NBC15 and the Village Diaper Bank’s Diaper Drive, running Feb. 18-25. Just $1 can buy seven diapers with the Village Diaper Bank’s buying power.
The NBC15 Diaper Drive will run over this one-week period with a few donation options:
- People can donate anytime by visiting here. If you donate on Feb. 25, up to $20,000 will be matched all day, thanks to matching offers by families and area businesses.
- Drop off diapers at Festival Foods in Madison and Verona; Icki Sticki in Mount Horeb and Verona; and Hilldale.
- Drop off diapers via drive-thru on Feb. 25 between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. at Village Diaper Bank’s headquarters at 9 Marsh Ct. on Madison’s east side.
Village Diaper Bank was founded in Madison in 2018 by Megan Sollenberger to meet the critical need of providing diapers to families who need them. According to their website, one in three families in the U.S. struggles to afford diapers for their children. On average, the monthly cost of diapers is $75 per month, per child. Even more critically, SNAP and WIC public assistance benefits don’t cover diapers for families.
Village Diaper Bank is making a huge difference in the community. In 2020, about 245,000 diapers were donated, and the nonprofit served over 460 children per month. Although people can donate year-round to the nonprofit, this is the first time they’ve hosted a citywide drive in partnership with NBC15.
“Partnering with NBC15 is a game-changer for a small nonprofit like us. Our values and culture align so well with theirs, as does our mutual desire to improve the communities we serve,” says Sollenberger. “I couldn’t be more thankful to their entire team for believing in us, for putting in so much effort to make this event happen … I’m excited for everything we’ve accomplished so far together, and can’t wait to see what the end result will be. The best part of it is that thanks to their support, we’ll undoubtedly be able to reach our goal of distributing 500,000 diapers to families in need this year.”
The diapers the Village Diaper Bank receives are distributed through their partner agencies, including The Social Justice Center, TAA Graduate Worker Union, Reach Dane & Reach Green, RISE Wisconsin, Middleton Outreach Ministry, Madison Metropolitan School District and The Salvation Army of Dane County.
The NBC15 Diaper Drive is sponsored by community partners Madison Gas and Electric, M3 Insurance, Madison Community Foundation, Summit Credit Union, Findorff and Quality West Construction, Inc.
You can also watch a video about the NBC15 Diaper Drive here.
