Madison Reporter

The founder of a diaper bank based in Madison is currently pushing to increase the availability of diapers to those who qualify for federal assistance, according to an NBC report.

Megan Sollenberger, founder and CEO of Village Diaper Bank, has established a partnership with a Milwaukee-based diaper bank to lobby state legislators and Gov. Tony Evers' administration in an effort to accomplish this goal

However, Sollenberger says that gathering support for the effort has been challenging.

“This is an issue that people don’t necessarily understand, and I also think that because children are in diapers for such a short time and then they grow out of them, there’s a lot of, in my opinion, this air of ‘Well they’ll be beyond it soon enough,” Sollenberger said.

Currently, diapers are not covered by state or federal benefit programs.

This means people who are eligible for programs such as SNAP or WIC are unable to utilize them to purchase basic necessities such as diapers.

However, Sollenberger believes that since diapers are not covered by the state or federal governments, resolving the issue will be straightforward because families only need diapers on a temporary basis.

Additionally, she hopes to change national policy through the implementation of measures that address the key issues regarding basic essentials.

“Not just diapers but you know what about things like toilet paper, shampoo, feminine hygiene products all of these things that folks have to find other resources for on top of applying for all these government programs,” Sollenberger said. “It’s hoop after hoop after hoop, and it’s exhausting, and it’s not easy to do.”

Public Health Madison & Dane County recently contacted Sollenberger to propose partnering with the diaper bank, stating that they have county nurses that need diapers for patients under their care but lack the funds to purchase them.