GREENFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Many families are feeling stretched thin with everyday needs, and for parents of babies and toddlers, that includes diapers. Diaper banks provide families that can’t afford the pull-ups from stores and provide for thousands of young children every year.

The United Way Diaper Bank, based in Greenfield, has been supplying parents of Franklin and Hampshire Counties with diapers for 12 years. Now, they are asking for support after losing access to half of their resources and questions about how long they can keep meeting the demand.

It’s not often the first thing that comes to mind when you think of an essential good, but for parents, diapers are key in keeping their kids healthy. For those on a tight budget, a diaper bank can be just as vital as a deal at the grocery store.

“So, a lot of families are having to choose between paying a bill, paying rent, getting food, and affording diapers, especially these days where prices are really high for a lot of those things,” said Program Director of United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire region Jenny Coeur.

The United Way Diaper Bank in Greenfield was part of a first of its kind federal diaper distribution program, until it was abruptly stopped in January, cutting off half of the diapers the bank was receiving.

These boxes of diapers are the last program has for federal funding which allowed United Way to provide 20,000 diapers a month to families in the Franklin and Hampshire region.

Diaper banks are critical in filling the gap, as the 2025 report from the National Diaper Bank Network said that every year in Massachusetts, these banks distribute over 6 million diapers that provide for around 11 thousand infants and toddlers.

The Franklin and Hampshire bank distributes diapers to 14 locations across the two counties, including Easthampton Community Center, which said parents often come in to grab diapers, but they’re now short on supply, “about a third of our population are little children under the age of 10. So, many of them need diapers. We are able to provide diapers every other week. We’d like to be able to do that every week, but the capability is not there for that number of children,” said the Director of Easthampton Community Center Robin Bialecki.

Now the community is flipping the script, assisting the bank with fundraising to keep distributing diapers. With a goal of 40,000, they are currently at just under 30. “I think we’ve already been doing a lot of work toward finding additional funding resources. Because at the end of the day, this means, you know, fewer families are getting support,” Coeur said.

The fundraiser is running until May 15th, with Greenfield Savings bank already matching the first 10,000 donated. If you would like to consider donating to their cause, a link to their website can be found here.