Healthy Community Initiative

To Heather Luethje, the Rice County Diaper Bank Collaborative is a blessing; another way she can show her clients that the community cares about young families and is there to help.

“Every family is so appreciative and grateful for something so small but yet so big in the grand scheme of managing their month-to-month budget, said Luethje, a nurse with Rice County Public Health who works with its Family Visiting Program. “Seeing parents smile and give me a hug with their thanks is incredibly rewarding and adds to how much I love what I do.”

Before 2024, keeping diapers on the shelves at the Community Action Center had been no easy feat. Almost as soon as they would come in, there were families in need adding them to their carts. Not only are diapers expensive — $80 to $100 per month per child, according to the National Diaper Bank Network – supplemental food assistance programs, including WIC, don’t cover diapers.

That growing need led the CAC to consider how it could bolster its diaper supply, in turn making it available for its clients with young children – which led to it becoming a certified member of the National Diaper Bank Network in 2023 and partnering with the Twin Cities-based Diaper Bank of Minnesota. That stimulated conversations between CAC, Rice County Public Health, Growing Up Healthy and Three Rivers Community Action with leaders from each partner pitching in to help identify and meet a community need.

“We get asked about diapers all the time,” said Michael Pursell, CAC food access program director. “But none of our organizations knew how great the need was before forming the Rice County Diaper Bank Collaborative. All we knew was that none of us ever had enough diapers.”

While the Collaborative is a cross-organizational effort to support young families across Rice County, the CAC sources and warehouses the diapers, and distributes them to other local agencies, soon to include the HOPE Center.

In 2023, the CAC distributed over 150,000 diapers through its food shelves in Faribault and Northfield. Through the Diaper Bank Collaborative, it and its partners distributed more than 350,000 in 2024.

Don’t be surprised if the collaborative exceeds that mark this year. Just a few weeks ago, the CAC got a rare opportunity through the National Diaper Bank Network to purchase a brand of sustainably sourced plant-based diapers at a 75% discount.

A truckload at that rate would supply the Collaborative for the year, said Pursell, so CAC seized the moment, chose abundance and placed an order.

“2024 was so successful,” said Pursell happily, “we doubled down in 2025.”

A ‘must have’

Keeping infants and toddlers in diapers is a concern across the state and the nation. With 76% of Minnesota mothers with infants in the workforce, disposable diapers are a must have. According to the National Diaper Bank Network, most child care facilities require parents to provide diapers for their child. Nationally, 25% of parents with diaper need reported missing an average of five days of work or school in the past month due to not having enough diapers to drop children off at child care. And that can result in lost wages.

Currently, diapers are available for local families in need at the Community Action Center’s three food shelves and through Healthy Community Initiative, Three Rivers Community Action and Rice County Public Health for families enrolled in programs for young children.

Though the CAC can buy in bulk from the Diaper Bank of Minnesota at a discount, it welcomes donations of both cash and diapers and continues to look for ways to make the program sustainable long-term.

With 2024 under their belts as a pilot year, the collaborative now knows that with the right support from the community, they could easily distribute more than half a million diapers this coming year to families in need across Rice County.

“That’s a giant investment in the health of our children and families,” said Pursell. “Every one of those diapers frees up funds that struggling families can spend on other essentials, relieves stress for parents and caregivers, and leaves one more baby happy and dry.”

GET INVOLVED 

Anyone interested in hosting a diaper drive or otherwise supporting the Diaper Bank should email diapers@communityactioncenter.org.

Financial contributions from the community provide essential support for the bank and help ensure its sustainability. The Diaper Bank welcomes donations of diapers and baby wipes in any quantity at the CAC’s Northfield and Faribault offices.

Community Action Center Northfield
1651 Jefferson Parkway, Suite HS-200
507-664-3550

Community Action Center Faribault
1400 Cannon Circle, Suite #8
507-384-3661

Media contacts:

Michael Pursell, Community Action Center Food Access Program Director
pursell.michael@communityactioncenter.org
507-664-3550

Suzy Rook, Rice County Communications Coordinator
suzy.rook@ricecountymn.gov
507-384-6509