A 2nd and 3rd grade class at Flex Academy in Little Chute teamed up for a fun volunteer day with our program manager recently to learn about Jake’s work while also making a difference.

Staff picked up cloth flats before the volunteer day, so that students could fold while following along via Zoom. 

“I set up a Zoom call so I could talk to the class about Jake’s and what we do,” program manager Katie Kilsdonk said. “I was amazed by the great critical thinking questions these young children asked!”

Here’s some of the questions the students asked, with our answers: 

Do people have to pay for diapers? No! We provide diapers at no cost through community partners. For our individual aid program, we only ask that families pay for shipping of cloth diaper kits.

What do people who don’t have water do?  People who do not have running water will either wash their diapers in a river/creek, or wash them with water they have carried to their home from the nearest water source. For this reason, we provide flat diapers which are the easiest cloth diapers to wash by hand with limited water.

How do homeless people diaper their babies? There are many community programs that help people who are experiencing homelessness. Jake’s works to build partnerships with these agencies so that they can redistribute diapers.

Do you also give away big diapers for grown ups? Yes, we provide diapers to all ages! Our program for grown ups is called Adult Care Essentials – ACE, for short.

How many diapers do babies need everyday? This one was fun, the teacher asked them to guess how many. Most were surprised to learn that newborns need 8-12 diapers every day!

How do the diapers get to the people who need them? We work with community partners who redistribute to people in need. We also have an Individual Aid diaper loan program.

“I thought it was awesome that these kids asked a lot of the same questions we needed the answers to when we started our programming,” Katie said. “They really engaged in the project and wanted more than just something to do. It gave me a good perspective on the questions I should be answering when telling our story.”

About Volunteering for Jake’s Diapers

Looking to give your time? You can learn more about volunteering at Jake’s Diapers by contacting our program manager Katie Kilsdonk via e-maill at [email protected].