20-05-2025
Alameda County announces diaper bank program for families in need
The Brief
A new program will distribute over 15 million diapers and 37 million baby wipes for free, over the next three years.
The program is a partnership between local nonprofits and Alameda County.
ALAMEDA, Calif. - The Institute for Research on Poverty says diapers cost a family around $100 per month, per child, and one in three parents are facing diaper scarcity.
Alameda County is working to alleviate that cost for residents, and on Monday announced a new diaper bank program that will distribute more than 15 million diapers and 37 million baby wipes for free.
The $5.8 million project will make supplies available for three years, at 50 distribution points throughout the county.
What they're saying
The program is the result of a partnership between Alameda County, local nonprofits and
"What SupplyBank does is competitively source these from manufacturers directly, and passes those savings on to the county for this partnership," Benito Delgado-Olson, executive director of said. "The safety net for early childhood development should include diapers and wipes. That's what makes today such a success story, because it will be sustainable beyond the booms and busts of our state general fund and our federal budget process."
Organizers say the program is a social service and safety net being integrated with nutrition and other low-income family plans, at a time when federal funds are in danger of being reduced or eliminated entirely.
"In the city of Oakland, over half the children under age 6 are insured through Medicaid. It's not something that's a small program. It is actually central to the health of our community," Kristin Spanos, CEO of the nonprofit organization First 5 Alameda County, said.
SupplyBank assists with federal diaper bank programs in San Francisco and Sonoma Counties which are at risk. Those programs are funded through May, 2026.
"We don't know what's going to happen after that," Delgado-Olson said. "If you cut food assistance, if you cut healthcare, if you cut core services that have been backbones and cornerstones of our public social safety net since the Great Society Generation, the consequences are going to be severe for everybody."
The program's organizers are hosting an orientation on Tuesday and after that diapers will be available throughout the county. Anyone interested in learning more can call 211.
