OUR HISTORY

In July 2015, Sarah Fontaine came across an article in The Atlantic describing the results of a 2015 Yale University study on an often overlooked issue facing families in the United States, inadequate access to clean diapers. With her own baby under the age of one, Sarah could not imagine dealing with the stress of not having clean diapers for her little one and felt called into action to help meet this need in the community. A fellow mom, Katie Fox was eager to put her skills to work as well. Originally they planned to coordinate with a local organization and host a diaper drive, but, after doing some research on community programs, it was immediately clear that the need for clean diapers in Butte County was great and not adequately being met. Just like that, the idea for Butte Diaper Bank was born.

The only "diaper bank" in the area was through a local nonprofit, the Shalom Free Clinic. However, the same time Butte Diaper Bank ha come into being, the Shalom Free Clinic closed its thrift store location and with it their ability to reliably distribute diapers. Once the Shalom Free Clinic got wind of Butte Diaper Bank, they not only endorsed our efforts, but also donated their entire remaining inventory of diapers to Butte Diaper Bank to be distributed to those experiencing need.

After months spent establishing ourselves, creating an all volunteer Organizing Committee to run the day to day operations,  applying for and receiving grant money, and hosting our first major diaper drive and fundraiser, Butte Diaper Bank made its first official diaper distribution in December 2015.

In July, 2018 Butte Diaper Bank became a program under Fontaine Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.