National Diaper Need Awareness Week
September 18-24, 2023

National Diaper Need Awareness Week is an annual effort to bring attention to the issue of diaper need in the U.S. and our own community. Inflation is making it harder than ever for families to afford the basic necessities, especially diapers. The facts about diaper need in Chicago are sobering:

  • The National Diaper Bank Network Diaper Check 2023 survey found that 1 in 2 U.S. families with young children experience diaper need – a dramatic increase from the 1 in 3 figure from last year.
  • 35% of caregivers reported cutting back on food and 28% reported skipping meals to afford diapers for their children.
  • Diaper need is a public health crisis! It is associated with physical, emotional, and economic harm to children and families.

This year we are hoping to collect 200,000 diapers. This will help us ensure we can distribute more than 1.5 MILLION diapers to families in need in 2023.

Help us surpass our goal by purchasing diapers or hosting a drive!

Support our campaign by purchasing a T-Shirt before October 9th!

National Diaper Need Awareness Week loading diapers
Donations during National Diaper Need Awareness Week
Share Our Spare diapers

The Issues

  • Diapers are expensive and, on average, a baby will need 6 to 12 diapers a day
  • Diapers are taxed at the same rate as alcohol and are not covered by government assistance programs
  • Some states have eliminated the tax on diapers; Illinois is not one of them

You can take action with SOS to address diaper need in our area!

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Alex Goodfellow

Executive Director

Alex has more than 10 years of nonprofit experience, including five years with The Little Bit Foundation in St. Louis, MO, where she directed the organization’s programming and strategic partnerships and contributed to revenue growth of more than 300%. Prior to SOS, she served as Manager of Corporate Partnerships for One Million Degrees, a Chicago-based nonprofit serving scholars in post-secondary programs. Alex also has experience in domestic violence, as well as youth advocacy. She holds a Master’s in Social Work from the George Warren Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Saint Louis University.

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Share Our Spare Bridget Rundquist

Bridget Rundquist

Director of Partnerships and Community Engagement

A native Chicagoan, Bridget is a mission-driven professional with extensive experience serving young people, working in the intersection of education and social work, and building relationships with diverse communities of stakeholders. Bridget holds a Master’s in Social Work from the George Warren Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor’s in History with minors in Education and Psychology from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She spent a semester abroad in Northern Uganda studying Post-Conflict Resolution and has spent several summers in Jerusalem with Project Harmony Israel.

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Jesseca Rhymes

Director of Operations and Development

Jesseca began her career with Apartments.com, where she worked directly with property managers and management companies. She also has served as an assistant property manager with Mercy Housing and as the assignments coordinator at DePaul University’s Department of Housing. In 2015, Jesseca founded Never Go Without, which has donated over 50,000 menstruation and incontinence supplies to individuals in need around the Chicago area. She earned her Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Eastern Illinois University.

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Sade Chapman

Operations Coordinator

Sade (they/them) is a community-oriented service industry professional and administrator with a passion for cultivating care through highly personalized experiences. Sade holds a Master’s in Museum Studies from the University of Illinois-Chicago and a Bachelors’ in Anthropology and International Studies from the University of Washington.

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Get In Touch

Share Our Spare
3800 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60641
‭773-657-3117

Email:
info@shareourspare.org

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Share Our Spare Lou

Louis Macmillan

Driver

Louis (Lou) attended Progressive Truck Driving School in Chicago where he received his Class A CDL license. After working at PGT Trucking, he decided to make a change in occupations and started with Share Our Spare in the fall of 2021. Lou says, “I love my job and our mission! I get to deliver essential items for children and meet a lot of new people doing important work throughout the community. I look forward to what’s to come each day!”

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Jarod Rhymes

Driver

Jarod Rhymes is a recent graduate from the University of Illinois-Chicago and is currently pursuing his Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy. As part-time van driver, Jarod is responsible for executing SOS donation pick-up services and facilitates many Stuff the Truck events. In addition to being a full-time student and part-time SOS employee, Jarod also is a proud member of the Illinois National Guard.

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Sade Chapman

Operations Coordinator

Sade (they/them) is a community-oriented service industry professional and administrator with a passion for cultivating care through highly personalized experiences. Sade holds a Master’s in Museum Studies from the University of Illinois-Chicago and a Bachelors’ in Anthropology and International Studies from the University of Washington.

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Lauren Arbuckle

Program Coordinator

Lauren began her journey as a civic advocate for food insecurity, during her graduate practicum at Columbia College Chicago. Outside her education, she worked as a portraiture photographer and led mental wellness programs for the elderly. The desire to help and preserve individualism in communities has led her towards collaborative work. Her avid background includes media literacy and digital production. She obtained her MA in Civic Media at Columbia College Chicago and BA in Journalism and Multimedia Studies at Roosevelt University.

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