Junior League of New Orleans Diaper Bank celebrates 10 years of supporting families

Written By Alicia Vial

NEW ORLEANS – Founded in 2014, the Junior League of New Orleans (JLNO) Diaper Bank has distributed more than 9.6 million diapers to families in need throughout the Greater New Orleans region. In honor of National Diaper Need Awareness Week Sept. 23 – 29, JLNO is inviting the community to host product drives or volunteer for a shift at the Diaper Bank.  

Diapers can cost up to $100 per month, and babies need six to 10 diapers per day. As a result, many families are forced to stretch their resources, often making difficult choices between buying diapers and meeting other essential needs.

“Imagine having to choose between diapering and feeding your child or your child having to spend dawn to dusk in the same diaper,” says JLNO President, Tara Waldron. “The JLNO Diaper Bank is committed to ensuring that all babies have enough diapers to stay clean, dry and healthy.”

Despite the expense and need, no direct government assistance is available for diapers. Yet according to a recent survey by the National Diaper Bank Network, one in two families in the U.S. struggle with diaper need.

  • 47% reported struggling to provide children with clean, dry diapers.

  • 46% reported reducing other expenditures to afford diapers. 

  • 53% said they felt judged as a bad parent/caregiver because they could not afford diapers. 

  • 25% of parents and caregivers with diaper need reported having to miss work or school because they did not have enough diapers to drop their child off at childcare, and reported missing, on average, 5.1 workdays in the past 30 days.

  • This represents a loss of $296 per month for a parent earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. 

The JLNO Diaper Bank was born a decade ago from a collective vision to empower women and uplift families. JLNO’s goal is to host drives, buy products at a highly discounted rate and provide volunteer support for sorting, packing and distributing. Ten years after its founding, JLNO is still supplying partner nonprofits in the area with diapers and has added period supplies and adult incontinence products to the inventory. Not only does JLNO work to address the immediate needs of families, but they are also steadfast in raising awareness and advocating for increased access to these essential products.

Individuals or groups interested in volunteering during Diaper Need Awareness Week can do so at the Diaper Bank distribution warehouse Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at 1109 North Al Davis Road, Unit A in Elmwood. Volunteers are asked to sign up for a shift by emailing diaperbank@jlno.org.

To learn more about JLNO’s Diaper Bank and how to host a product drive, visit jlno.org/diaperbank.

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About Junior League New Orleans  
Junior League of New Orleans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to advancing women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration and training. More information on the organization can be found at www.jlno.org.

Alicia Vial

Alicia Vial is a New Orleans native with more than a decade of experience elevating client stories and leading crisis response. As the senior director of strategy, Alicia acts as a leader within the Gambel Communications team ensuring each agency team member is positioned to deliver strategic public relations services that meet the highest standards of the industry. In addition to supporting the agency’s long-term business growth and development, she coordinates day-to-day account services and oversees strategic direction while staying abreast of best practices and industry trends to provide innovative solutions to meet client’s needs.

Before joining Gambel Communications, Alicia served as the communications director for the Louisiana SPCA, the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in Louisiana that impacts more than 74,000 animals per year. During her nearly eight-year tenure, Alicia oversaw numerous crises, served on national communication taskforces, oversaw all aspects of internal and external relations and worked alongside the development department to raise critical funding. Prior to that, she worked in the fast-paced New Orleans hospitality industry focusing on digital public relations for multiple hotels.

Alicia is a member of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL), Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), a board member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter and a member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. An accredited public relations practitioner (APR), Alicia is also certified in crisis communications, organizational leadership, content marketing and social media.

A well respected and trusted public relations practitioner, Alicia has been recognized by SPRF as a ‘Senior Practitioner of the Year’. Dubbed early on in her career as one to watch, she also received the ‘Rising Star’ award by PRAL and was profiled in St. Charles Avenue Magazine as part of their Young Bloods series. Most recently, she was recognized at PRSA’s annual Fleurish Awards and received four Awards of Excellence for her work along with the ‘Plate Spinner’ award for her efforts on the board of directors for the chapter.

An LSU graduate, Alicia received a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and minors in business administration and leadership development. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on public relations topics, most recently presenting at the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and SPRF annual conference.

When Alicia is not at work, you can find her at the ballpark with her three boys or cheering on the Tigers in Death Valley.

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