ATHENS, Ohio — The Athens Area Diaper Bank has far surpassed the goal for its September Diapers Up! Community-Wide Diaper Drive, collecting more than 159,000 diapers for families in Athens and across its six-county distribution area in southeast Ohio.
The bank set out to collect 100,000 diapers during the drive. Instead, the final total topped that mark by a wide margin, passing 159,000 diapers and giving the organization a major boost as it works to meet a need that leaders say reaches far beyond a single household chore.
Executive Director Erin Campbell said diaper need impacts the whole family. According to Campbell, a child who does not have clean diapers faces a higher risk of diaper rash and infections such as urinary tract infections, health concerns that can quickly turn a basic supply shortage into a much larger problem for parents and caregivers.
Campbell also pointed to the difficult choices families face when money is tight. Many families struggle to afford both food and diapers, she said, forcing them to weigh one essential against another. For households already stretching every dollar, the cost of keeping a baby in clean diapers can compete directly with putting meals on the table.
The impact can also reach a caregiver’s job. Campbell said a lack of diapers can affect a caregiver’s ability to work because diapers are required at daycare. Without enough diapers to send with a child, a parent may have no reliable childcare option, even when work is available and the family needs the income.
The scale of the bank’s work helps explain why a drive of this size matters. In 2025, the Athens Area Diaper Bank distributed 840,000 diapers to more than 19,000 children in its six-county distribution area, a reach that shows diaper need is not isolated to a few families but is felt across communities throughout the region.
For readers in Athens County and the surrounding southeast Ohio counties the bank serves, the September result is both a milestone and a reminder. The drive topped its 100,000-diaper goal by more than 59,000 diapers, yet the bank’s 2025 distribution numbers show the ongoing demand remains far larger, keeping community support central to helping local children stay clean, healthy, and ready for daycare.
Photo: Stch2022, CC BY-SA 4.0