Kansas City diaper bank, Happy Bottoms, hits 25 million donations

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Taking care of a happy bottom can be expensive, but imagine taking care of two at the same time. That’s Ilyvia Jackson’s reality.

“What’s the word I’m going to use,” said Jackson.

“A blessing.”

Jackson’s twins just turned one year old in May.

“I have two poopy people all the time, and it’s like, ‘Lord how much diapers am I going to go through?'”

She first got help from Happy Bottoms, Kansas City’s diaper bank, when her son was born. While she’s grateful to see her family grow, the cost of living has increased since then.

“Sometimes working jobs you don’t have a lot of funds in between the pay periods,” said Jackson.

She’s not alone either. From March to July Happy Bottoms reported a 34% increase in the number of families needing help.

“We figured that is one just because of the staggering food prices and diaper prices has increased 32% over the last four years,” said Susan Belger Angulo, Co-Executive Director at Happy Bottoms.

A study by the National Diaper Bank Network reported that last year, almost half of all families reported spending less money on other essential items just so they could afford diapers.

The need the gap is wider and deeper than ever before,” said Belger Angulo.

Happy Bottoms partners with 74 agencies in six counties. The non-profit has been providing relief for families like Jackson’s for 15 years. Wednesday, Belger Angulo received a package of diapers that brought the total of Happy Bottoms donations to 25 million.

“That security makes me feel so much more better because we are stressing about a lot of different stuff as it is as a mother,” said Jackson.

This milestone for Happy Bottoms is proof that the need isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

If you’d like to help, you can donate here . Just $10 gets a pack of 20-25 diapers into a family’s hands.

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