Subscribe to our monthly newsletter: http://bit.ly/2ObCzBw
Puerto Rico Still in Need One Year After Hurricane
Nearly a year after Hurricane Maria devastated the territory, Jake’s has continued to respond to the need in Puerto Rico. We have worked hard to collect, package and distribute diapers to the island’s children since the tragic incident occurred almost one year ago.
“Our efforts in Puerto Rico have been non-stop,” said Stephanie Bowers, co-founder of Jake’s Diapers. Since Hurricane Maria struck in September 2017, Jake’s Diapers has provided cloth diaper packs to more than 1,000 people; totaling more than 12,239 diapers in all.
“The cloth diapers provide the same diaper coverage as 6.2 million disposable diapers,” said Bowers. “By providing cloth diapers instead of disposable [diapers] in Puerto Rico, we have avoided more than 4 million pounds of garbage that would take over 300 years to break down.”
As part of a renewed focus on Puerto Rico, there is now a generous dollar for dollar match program (up to $250 per donor) through Johnson and Johnson’s CaringCrowd platform. CaringCrowd is fully dedicated to improving public health all around the globe. To make a donation and help the children of Puerto Rico, please click the button below.
Right now we’re raising money to support Vieques Island. Vieques Island is a remote, once serene portion of Puerto Rico eight miles east of the main island, that was hit particularly hard and is difficult to get supplies to due to the devastation. Power is spotty, largely dependent on generators. Internet and cell service are back, intermittently. But life is nowhere near close to normalcy. Jake’s Diapers needs your help to gather supplies to aid the children of Vieques Island! Right now, your gift will be doubled.
That means more supplies, more diapers, and more hope for more children. Thank you for taking a stand to help beautiful Puerto Rico!
Diaper Need Awareness Week, September 24-30, 2018
Diaper Need Awareness Week is an initiative created by the National Diaper Bank Network to bring national attention and mobilize efforts to end diaper need, a hidden consequence of poverty. Diaper need is defined as the lack of a sufficient supply of diapers to keep a baby clean, dry, and healthy.
Individuals, health professionals, community groups, and others can use this week to sponsor events and stimulate awareness of health issues related to diaper need. Learn how you can get involved!
Helping Poverty-Stricken Babies in Green Bay, Wisconsin
As we grow as an organization and touch lives all around the world, Wisconsin is always home in our hearts. It’s where we got the idea to help end diaper need and where we got our start (and where Jake was born too)! We’re proud to share that since January of this year, 53,250 diapers have been distributed to families in Green Bay. Almost 8% of those receiving diapers are currently experiencing or recently experienced some sort of medical crisis.
4% of diaper recipients are active duty military members or veterans. Our community partner Family & Childcare Resources witnessed situational poverty because of a house fire. Additionally, eight recipients are refugees and several more are experiencing homelessness. Working parents of Northeast Wisconsin, single and married, who are struggling to make ends meet have received diapers as well.
The common thread among all our recipients is they are living in poverty and trying to work their way out. They all appreciate the helping hand you have provided. Thank you!
–
WE’D LIKE TO THANK… EVERYBODY!
We can’t believe it! We are one of the first winners of a 2018 Top-Rated Award from GreatNonprofits! Thank you for sharing your inspiring stories about our work. We are among a distinguished few to receive this community endorsement.
The official 2018 Top-Rated List will be announced after October 31. In the meantime, you can read inspiring stories about us and add your own story too!
WE LOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS!
Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes here at Jake’s Diapers? As a diaper bank, we collect, store, and distribute diapers locally, nationally, and globally. But what does this really look like? It means on any given day, we probably have a team of volunteers performing a variety of tasks!
Two of these volunteers are the incredible husband-wife team of Scott & Lanette. It’s been almost a year since they first set foot in our tiny corner office to help sort and pack diapers into kits to distribute worldwide. Since they began volunteering, we’ve grown out of our first corner space to not only one, but two more office spaces in our current building.
“We went from one (upstairs office) room to the ones below,” Lanette said. “When we first started, we didn’t know what it was all about and how far-reaching it was. It’s fun to listen to whether we’re packing for Haiti or Puerto Rico or California or here in our own Wisconsin backyard.”
We are always looking for volunteers, organizations to help distribute supplies around the world, individuals to host diaper drives in their local communities, and donations of cash or diapers. Every action counts! Click the button below to learn more.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter: http://bit.ly/2ObCzBw