State Cuts Funding That Keeps Babies Clean

A mom in East Palo Alto went to jail for stealing diapers; her kids went to foster care. 

According to the California Poverty Measure, approximately 375,000 babies in California do not have the diapers they need, and their families are going to extraordinary lengths to prevent serious infections.

“A child needs between six and eight diapers a day to stay clean, dry, and healthy. Newborns need between ten and twelve. The first time I learned that mothers would desperately go from one place to the next trying to collect maybe ten diapers…it just broke my heart,” says Lisa Truong, founder of Help a Mother Out (HAMO), a nonprofit dedicated to ending diaper need.

HAMO operates the San Francisco Diaper Bank, the nation’s only diaper bank directly integrated into public assistance programs. For all of their programs, HAMO partners with local and state governments, manufacturers, and high-impact local distributors to give over 7,500 babies the diapers they need every single month. This summer, California renewed their diaper bank funding, but at a much-reduced level, burning a hole in the pockets of 50,000 families in the Bay Area.

“Here in the Bay Area, we talk a lot about the idea of Universal Basic Income. I believe that diapers should be the Universal Basic Income for babies. At the end of the day, it is a human rights issue that children in poverty don’t have one of their most basic needs, and diapers cannot be bought through federal support programs like food stamps or WIC,” says Truong.

According to HAMO’s internal records, the cost of diapers has increased 48% since 2020 – without the support of HAMO, families struggle to provide their children with basic necessities. 

“If every mom had enough diapers for their baby, the world would look very different,” explains one HAMO service user. “When my kids were younger, it was either I eat something or I buy the diapers. And 85% of the time, I would buy the diapers. I would rather pay for the diapers than pay for my food. It was a need that my babies had.”

Despite the heartbreaking stories they hear every day at HAMO, founder Lisa Truong is hopeful.

“There are so many complex issues in the world. But this one is simple. By producing our own private-label diaper brand and distributing directly to family service agencies, we have developed the infrastructure to end diaper need in California. We just need the donor support to increase our reach,” says Truong.

In 2023 alone, HAMO delivered over 13 million diapers. Ninety-three percent of families now say they have more money for food and 96% say their child is healthier.

“My mom’s friend told me about the HAMO diaper program and ever since it has been life-changing. It changed me so much. With the money I don’t spend on diapers, I can buy food for my kids. It’s a big difference,” says a thankful HAMO client.