Started in a garage, the Milwaukee Diaper Mission now provides essential supplies to families across Milwaukee

Meagan Johnson was volunteering at the Bay View Community Center in 2020, helping its effort to support parents with children, when she had a revelation.

The stay-at-home mom used cloth diapers with her two children, and was researching how to make them accessible for low-income families. She looked for a freestanding diaper bank in Milwaukee and found none existed. Then she learned that one in three families in the United States struggle to afford diapers.

That gave her a mission.

With her cousin, Jessica Syburg, she conducted research into how to organize and have the most impact. Then the two of them launched Milwaukee Diaper Mission in her garage and then moved to a 800-square-foot office.

Today, Johnson is executive director of the organization, which is housed in a 5,000-square-foot warehouse in Franklin. “It went from a bit of curiosity to a hobby, and now to a full-time position,” Johnson said.

Syburg stepped away once the effort was up and running to pursue another career path. "She's still cheering us on," Johnson said.

The all-volunteer organization has grown to provide period supplies in an attempt to fill another gap in basic hygiene products. It's estimated that two in five women who menstruate struggle to purchase supplies because of income problems.

Milwaukee Diaper Mission receives donations from drop boxes positioned throughout Milwaukee, and volunteers gather those donations and bring them to the Franklin warehouse to package them.

Diaper bundles consist of 25 diapers. The organization offers cloth diapers, pull ups and swim diapers, as well as baby wipes.

Three different types of period kits are assembled — pad kits, tampon kits, and reusable kits. The reusable period kits have menstrual cups, cloth pads, and period underwear.

“Dignity of choice is important. We want to make sure that families have options,” Johnson said.

The organization partners with local agencies to distribute the diapering and period supplies to the families that they serve. Those agencies range from food pantries and home visiting agencies to organizations that support families through pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Diaper Mission's supplies are distributed for free.

Since its inception, it has given out nearly a half-million diapers, more than 150,000 disposable period products, and more than 10,000 packs of baby wipes. The organization estimates its average monthly distribution at 300 period kits and enough diapers to support more than 1,400 children.

The car seat and stroller manufacturer Nuna and the Milwaukee Bucks are among its biggest supporters. When Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Mariah Riddlesprigger welcomed their second child last August, they reached out to Johnson and hosted a weeklong diaper drive.

"The community here in Milwaukee has really put their arms around us as an organization, and lifted us up in ways we couldn't imagine," Johnson said. "We are so grateful."

Part of a national network

The gap that Milwaukee Diaper Mission is trying to fill is significant.

Milwaukee has become a poorer city since the turn of the century, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the Lubar Center for Public Policy and Civic Education at Marquette University's Law School. In real dollars, households in Milwaukee today earn $6,000 a year less than they did in 2000. The drop is particularly acute in Black and Latino families.

By most measures, Milwaukee is one of the five most impoverished cities in the country.

Disposable diapers can cost $70 to $80 per month per baby, and that cost can go up if a parent has limited transportation and is buying from a convenience store instead of a big box outlet. Most childcare centers require parents to provide at least a day's supply of disposable diapers.

The Diaper Mission has become part of the National Diaper Bank Network and the Alliance for Period Supplies, giving it access to bulk purchasing options.

Nationally, 57% of parents experiencing diaper need who rely on child care said they missed an average of four days of school or work in the past month because they didn’t have diapers, according to the Diaper Bank Network. And one-third of low-income women reports missing work, school or other commitments due to the lack of access to period supplies, according to the Alliance.

“I saw over and over a level of poverty we often don’t think exists in the United States,” said Joanne Goldblum, who runs both organizations from Connecticut. “Every child, every person deserves at minimum to have their material basic needs met.”

Instead of each diaper bank recreating the wheel, Goldblum said, she found it imperative to partner with other banks to create a collective voice and meet the needs of different communities. The network now connects about 250 organizations like the Milwaukee Diaper Mission nationwide.

'Contributing to the greater good'

Nicole Dachs has volunteered at Milwaukee Diaper Mission every Wednesday for the last six months. As a volunteer, Dachs assembles period kits and takes inventory for products.

“I like being a part of things that are bigger than me, and feeling like I’m contributing to the greater good and helping people,” Dachs said.

Dachs has three children and said she can’t imagine not being able to pay for necessities like period supplies and diapers, so she thinks it’s wonderful that Johnson has been able to help so many people in such a short time.

“I didn’t realize the need and how many people struggle with paying for diapers,” she said. “I didn’t realize it’s a matter of not being able to go to work because you don’t have proper products to take care of things on a daily basis.”

Friedens Food Pantries is one of the distribution partners of Milwaukee Diaper Mission, with four sites in Milwaukee — Coggs Center, Despensa de la Paz, Hope House and Zion Rock. Before the partnership, Friedens didn’t have enough diapering supplies for the communities it serves.

They were only able to give out five diapers per child, said Aleka Shewczyk, Friedens' operations manager.

Now, they are able to give out a whole pack of diapers and wipes per child.

“We’re seeing a significant number of kids,” Shewczyk said. “Being able to give them a whole pack of diapers and wipes makes a huge difference for families. We are able to give them a good quantity and consistent supply.”

As a mother of four herself, Shewczyk said it's particularly rewarding to provide other mothers and families with the resources they need.

All of that fuels Johnson to spread awareness about diaper and period poverty, and continue to making sure those basic needs are met.

“The ultimate goal," she said, "is to end diaper need and period poverty.”

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Diaper Mission helps low-income families with essentials