The Food Bank for Larimer County is acquiring The Nappie Project, a nonprofit organization based in Loveland that works to ensure Northern Colorado communities have access to an adequate diaper supply and to raise awareness around diaper need.
The Nappie Project — which estimates it has served about 93,000 babies and distributed more than a million diapers — works as a diaper bank, meaning it doesn’t connect families directly with diapers but distributes them through partner providers, one of which was The Food Bank for Larimer County.
“We have always known that the need exceeds our logistical capability,” said Jan Touslee, The Nappie Project co-founder, in a press release. “...The Food Bank has the storage, transportation and distribution know-how to take what we have built and expand it.”
The two organizations have worked together since the early days of The Nappie Project, and the Food Bank for Larimer County became a main distributor of diapers, giving out nearly 200,000 last year. In a statement about the acquisition, The Nappie Project board of directors said the food bank realized that, similar to food, “access to diapers and other nonfood items helps families live healthier and more fulfilling lives and move toward self-sufficiency.”
Touslee founded the organization in 2015 after being a volunteer at the food bank and seeing that diapers were an increasingly in-demand commodity. In 2020, demand for diapers through Touslee’s organization increased 40%.
In Colorado, the cost to diaper an infant is around $80 a month, and families cannot use food stamps to buy diapers. Colorado also has increasingly high costs for child care, and centers often require parents to provide their own diapers. Leadership of The Nappie Project has expressed hope that the acquisition will help them expand their services, noting that the “demand always exceeds the supply.”
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Growth is also on the minds of those at the Food Bank for Larimer County.
“We are beyond thrilled to take on this great initiative and help it continue to grow so that even more families have access to diapers,” said Amy Pezzani, CEO of the Food Bank for Larimer County.
The acquisition won’t become final until July, but Food Bank for Larimer County’s communications director, Paul Donnelly, said much of the planning and preparation has begun. Wrap sessions, or volunteer events at which diapers are packaged for distributors, are being hosted at the food bank as of June 1, according to The Nappie Project's website.
Until the shift is complete, The Nappie Project said the rest of its business will continue as usual and it will share more information with partners and volunteers as it comes.
Molly Bohannon covers education for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter @molboha or contact her at mbohannon@coloradoan.com. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
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The Link LonkJune 03, 2021 at 01:52AM
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Food Bank of Larimer County to acquire diaper bank The Nappie Project - Coloradoan
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