With one in three U.S. families unable to provide fresh, clean diapers for their baby, diaper need garnered national attention from the White House earlier this year when President Obama urged companies to help. Meeting that call in March, Huggies extended its long-standing commitment with a donation of 22 million diapers and is continuing to help "wipe out" diaper need with a matching donation of 22 million free Huggies Wipes to the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN).
According to the NDBN, more than half of its member diaper banks provide other basic need items besides diapers, with body cleansing products – including wipes – as the second-most distributed item. As the founding sponsor of the NDBN, Huggies has donated a combination of more than 200 million diapers and wipes in the past six years.
"We are thrilled that Huggies is broadening its support for the NDBN beyond its annual donation of diapers to include 22 million baby wipes to ensure babies in need have clean and dry bottoms to remain healthy," said Joanne Goldblum, executive director of the National Diaper Bank Network. "We receive frequent requests for wipes from our member diaper banks, and this additional offering will help further meet the basic needs of the families we serve."
This Father's Day, Huggies is also teaming up with the City Dads Group and The Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) to engage parents on skin health and diaper need. Everyone can join in the conversation during the "Huggies Wipes Out Diaper Need" Twitter Party, taking place on June 23 from 8-9 p.m. EST using #DiaperNeed.
Diapering is more than just putting on a diaper and wipes are one of the best products for maintaining a baby's naturally perfect skin. "Diapers and wipes go hand in hand to ensure proper hygiene," says Lynn Erdman MN, RN, FAAN, chief executive officer of AWHONN. "Nurses understand the importance of maintaining a baby's skin integrity and preventing irritation that could lead to more serious issues."
With these partners, Huggies is continuing to elevate the topic of diaper need and raise awareness of the importance of skin health in the diapering process.
"We're committed to fighting diaper need by providing great skincare to all babies through diapers and wipes donations," says Giusy Buonfantino, president of Kimberly-Clark baby and child care North America. "We want to embrace all babies so they have the opportunity to grow up healthy and thrive - it's how we got our name: Hugs + Babies = Huggies."