Joanne Goldblum

Founder and President, The Diaper Bank
New Haven, Connecticut

Formerly a social worker, Joanne saw the need for diapers every day. She's even witnessed firsthand a mother taking a diaper off, emptying the solids, and putting it back on. As she explained in an article for The New York Times, "All my clients were poor. And in poor homes, middle-class people like myself see things you don't expect and never consider. People at the poverty level cannot keep up with basic needs — toilet paper, toothbrushes, feminine supplies and diapers. It took me two years to realize that there is no subsidy for these things anywhere."

After hearing her vent for the umpteenth time about the lack of free diapers available for mothers in need, her husband said: "It can't be that difficult. We can do this." In 2004, Joanne started The Diaper Bank. It distributes around 200,000 diapers a month to 62 social service agencies that give the diapers to families in need.

The Diaper Bank gets its diapers through bulk purchases and diaper donations. The Diaper Bank holds annual events to raise both funds and community awareness, and community organizations hold diaper drives for it. And while The Diaper Bank receives financial support from foundations and a local bank, Joanne's biggest challenge has always been fundraising.

"Without having their basic needs met, children can't grow and develop optimally," states Joanne. She notices that, because of The Diaper Bank, babies in her community are healthier. Parents can go to work since they can take their children to day care—which requires an adequate supply of diapers. Families are getting more services since giving diapers out through social services agencies is an incentive to get families to come to them. And one woman was able to keep her children, who would have gone into the child welfare system if she hadn't received diapers.

Joanne says: "We've been doing this for a long time; to have a national company like Huggies involved lets us get the word out to lots of people that helping to provide diapers really matters. My dream is the Every Little Bottom Program will raise awareness of the issue and get more people involved."

Joanne's family couldn't be prouder of what she's accomplishing. In fact, her three teenagers Sherman, Jesse and Mollie, and her husband David, a high school history teacher, pitch in whenever they can to help stack and distribute diapers.