We’ve had our eye on starting a program to serve adults and seniors experiencing incontinence for quite some time. It was a natural progression from our sister programs, Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank and Tidal Babe Period Bank, which have been working since 2015 and 2018, respectively, to deliver other basic hygiene items to families in need. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic began, and our community partner agencies and their clients were hit hard. Within weeks of the lockdown beginning, requests started pouring in for adult incontinence products–something we had thought about but never before distributed.
We decided action was needed, and began working with Meals on Wheels of Southwest OH & Northern KY to pilot our adult incontinence supply program. We secured an amazing donation of adult briefs, and discrete packages began arriving to seniors’ doorsteps in early 2020, as an add-on to their regular meal delivery services. We hope to officially launch the program to the rest of our community and partner agencies soon so we can greatly expand our distribution to more seniors in need.
Forming Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank was a wild ride and we have so many people to thank for it!
National Diaper Bank Network – We are proud and grateful to be members of the National Diaper Bank Network. Their information on how to start a diaper bank are what first sparked the idea that Cincinnati could have one too. The resources, support, knowledge, enthusiasm, and encouragement every single staff member offers us is invaluable.
HappyBottoms – When we won our first tiny grant we bought a plane ticket to Kansas City and spent a whirlwind 36 hours learning from this successful organization just exactly what starting a diaper bank meant. We were able to hit the ground running because this incredible diaper bank shared so many of their best practices, documents, and wisdom with us. We are forever grateful to our first diaper bank friends and mentors!
Junior League of Cincinnati – We are so grateful for the support of JLC. After being picked as their nonprofit partner from June 2018-June 2020, they have thrown their financial and people support behind growing capacity for our organization. From planning events to leading diaper-wrapping groups to completing admin work in the warehouse, to helping launch our period supply program, these amazing women have helped us grow faster than we could have ever imagined.
Framily You know when you have friends that are so amazing you consider them family? That’s called Framily, and Sweet Cheeks was lucky to have so many people in that category in its early days. Many folks stepped up to offer their support, encouragement, time, talent, and treasure when we were just a speck in our founder’s eye. We are particularly indebted to the following generous souls for launching us to where we are today: Mike Schell, Andrea Meyer, Gretchen Swann, Jamie Bryson, Andree Schell, Claire Ballinger, Amy Boldt, Ann Loch, and Sarah Riffel.
The facts are staggering:
Every day, 1 in 2 families in America struggle to afford diapers for their children.
