HappyBottoms

Jill Gaikowski began a grassroots effort to address Kansas City’s diaper need in 2009 with three nonprofit partners and 15,000 diapers she collected in a weeklong drive. Twelve years later, in March 2021, HappyBottoms distributed its 15 millionth diaper into the community. Diapers are a non-negotiable necessity for safe, healthy infant growth and development, but no government safety net programs cover diapers. Even prior to COVID-19, 23,000 Kansas City metro children needed diaper assistance, and local unemployment data suggests short- or long-term pandemic-related diaper need for an additional 4,500 children. Diapers can cost $100 per child per month, and for families without access to warehouse or big box stores, the corner store is even more expensive. Diaper prices increased 8.5% in 2020 because of COVID shortages, and prices have increased an additional 9% industry-wide in summer 2021. Diaper need is rooted in poverty and is tied to social determinants of health—factors like socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, education, physical living environment, job status, and social supports. Diaper dermatitis (diaper rash) results in one million pediatric visits per year for children ages 0-4. Left untreated, diaper rash can develop into more serious skin and systemic issues, requiring more complex treatment and even hospitalization. The simplest preventive measure is frequent diaper changing, but the reality is that 1 in 3 parents cannot afford an adequate supply of diapers. A 2013 Pediatrics study reports that mothers with diaper need are twice as likely to be depressed, and 30% of low-income mothers find diaper need more stressful than food insecurity. Poor parents who run out of diapers cut back on food, rent, or utilities and may resort to delaying changes or reusing diapers. HappyBottoms’ 2019 survey showed that diaper need prevented 26% of caregivers from buying food; 27% utilities; and 20% used a payday loan to buy diapers. Huggies’ 2017 White Paper showed that 57% of parents missed school or work because they could not afford to supply required diapers to their childcare provider. In 2020, 85% of children HappyBottoms served lived below Federal Poverty Level/38% lived in deep poverty; 79% of children served were non-white; and 49% of families served were headed by a female parent/caregiver. National and local data overwhelmingly shows that this same triad--the poor, women, and people of color--have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Low-wage sectors like hospitality and leisure employ large numbers of women and people of color and were hit hardest by COVID shutdowns. HappyBottoms’ 2020 service data shows 43% of caregivers were employed full or part time, down from 52% in 2019, further reflection of pandemic effects on our target population. Universities of Chicago and Notre Dame’s real-time poverty research shows from June through December 2020, the overall poverty rate increased even though unemployment fell 40%. (Rates do not consider over 4 million people, mostly women, who exited the labor force.) Government relief temporarily reversed trends, but the fact remains that regular unemployment benefits are around half of pre-jobless earnings, and gaps in relief coverage have caused cumulative economic effects on household income. Study data also shows disproportionate pandemic effects on people of color and workers with lower educational levels. As of May 2020, Black and Hispanic poverty rates were nearly 2.5 times that of whites, and poverty rates for those with a high school education or less was 3.5 times higher than those more highly educated. NPR reported that female unemployment reached double digits for the first time in 2020 since 1948. Women with children shoulder the greatest burden of family caregiving responsibilities, challenging even before the pandemic with high child care costs and inadequate safety net coverage. COVID-19 has been especially hard on single mothers. Pew research shows a nearly 10% drop in employment for unpartnered mothers with children under 5, compared to a 4% drop for partnered parents. Keeping these complex challenges in mind, HappyBottoms provides a critical health resource for families. Our expertise lies in our strategic mission focus, innovation, and effective use of technology and data, all supported by our underlying values of trust, excellence, stewardship, and teamwork. Our leadership has thoughtfully built organizational infrastructure, and successfully managed growth, and in the throes of a global pandemic, HappyBottoms continued and expanded service delivery to meet increased community needs.