The State of Diaper Need in Indiana

Diapers. Vital for a newborn’s health, but a significant cost for their parents. Without clean diapers, working parents can’t send their children to daycare, meaning lost hours, lost wages, and lost jobs. Something as small as a diaper need can destabilize families – and 44% of children in Indiana live close enough to the poverty line that this can be a real risk. Our mission to provide help for today and hope for tomorrow begins when a child takes their first breath.

Second Harvest became a member of the National Diaper Bank Network in 2020 so that we could better help new families. Since then we have more than doubled our diaper impact, from 247,000 diapers in 2020 to 530,000 diapers last year. That the community has embraced our efforts shows the reality of the need and the possibility of making changes.

In 2022, Second Harvest distributed 530,000+ diapers.

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Child Poverty in Indiana

1 in 5 Children in Indiana live under the poverty line, with another 1 in 5 Children living just above it. That’s about 40% of children living in households under 200% the FPL (Federal Poverty Line)

TANF Diaper Spending

A monthly supply of diapers costs approximately $80. The only federal assistance program that can be used for diapers is TANF, but that must also cover many needs including utilities, clothing, and more.

Max TANF for Family of 3

USA Average:486$

486$

Indiana:288$

288$

Assuming a Family of 3 is 1 Parent and 2 Children.

In Indiana, there is a 12-month exemption from the work-related activity requirement after the birth of a child for single parent households receiving TANF . However, children usually need diapers for twice that long, if not longer.

57%
of parents experiencing diaper need who rely on childcare said they missed an average of four days of school or work in the past month because they didn’t have diapers.

Without diapers a parent cannot go to work, and not working disqualifies a parent from vital childcare resources.

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