Minnesota donates diaper funding to help families in need

(FOX 9) - Those with young children at home know the struggle stinks.

One in three families in Minnesota are currently in need of diapers, according to the Diaper Bank of Minnesota, and following the 2023 legislative session the state will be donating more than $1 million to help stock the reserves for parents and guardians.

According to an announcement from the Diaper Bank, the new state funding provided from H.F. 2665, "will dramatically increase diaper distribution through nonprofit partners across the state" with the intent of distributing more than two million diapers each year from the grant sponsored by Rep. Kim Hicks (DFL-Rochester) and Sen. Liz Boldon (DFL-Rochester).

"We anticipate distributing more than two million diapers each year as a result of this grant, which is approximately 250 percent of what we distributed in 2022," Diaper Bank Executive Director Deirdre Kanzer told FOX 9.

In 2022, it distributed more than 865,000 diapers through partnerships with 40 Twin Cities’ nonprofit agencies.

More than 90,000 children in Minnesota under the age of 3 years old are in need, according to a press release from the Diaper Bank.

Founded in 2010, the Diaper Bank of Minnesota is a nonprofit organization that started out of its founder’s basement, and dedicated to providing diapers to families facing financial hardships.

The organization’s mission is, "to provide clean diapers to families in need, advocate for legislative changes that make it easier for families to access diapers, and increase public awareness of diaper need in Minnesota."