MADISON, Wis. — The Village Diaper Bank in Madison distributes more than 100,000 diapers a month to families in need.

By now, Deb Schwartz could practically package diapers in her sleep. She’s got it down to a science.

Her daughter Megan Sollenberger started The Village Diaper Bank in 2017 in her basement.

“She started it after Hurricane Harvey. She did a fundraiser for there for diapers for kids,” Schwartz said. “Then she researched it a little bit, and realized you know, there’s diaper banks all over the place, filling this need that goes so under the radar.”

Some people even know Schwartz as “Diaper Bank Deb.” That nickname is right on her business cards.

The Village collects diapers from either donations or bulk purchases. They distribute them to food banks, community programs and social workers.

“Say your child grows out of a size,” Schwartz said. “People will save them, bundle them up, and drop them at the door.”

When struggling families get help, diapers often aren’t on the list of available products.

“There are no government programs for diapers. WIC doesn’t allow you to buy diapers with that,” Schwartz said.

And the need just keeps growing.

Schwartz said they’re typically at around 120,000 to 130,000 diapers a month.

“But it’s going up every month. Some people have even doubled their orders,” she said.

When a family is going through a hard time, they may be forced to choose between buying diapers and paying to take their child to the doctor.

“It’s just that one little leg up you can give somebody that needs it,” Schwartz said.

If you’d like to donate diapers or funding, you can learn more here.