Central Ohio nonprofit provides 80,000 diapers a month

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — With inflation hitting an all-time high, mothers are having to pay more than ever before for necessities like food, diapers, and baby wipes.

To help combat the need, a non-profit, Bottoms Up Diaper Bank, is working to provide diapers to families across Central Ohio at no cost.

When Jo Welsh and her husband started Bottoms Up Diaper Bank in 2018, they never imagined the financial need would be as great as it is today.

“We were giving away around 3,000 diapers at the time and today we are giving away about 80,000 diapers a month,” Welsh said.

Bottoms Up was started in Franklin County and is now headquartered in Lancaster. They also have warehouses in 13 Central Ohio counties to provide free diapers to families in need.

Fifty percent of their stock is donated, and the other half Welsh purchases herself.

“Those stories people tell me I'm like, 'OK I have to keep doing this,'" Welsh said.

She says the need for diapers is increasing as inflation continues to rise.

“I just got a call from a mom this week and she said ‘You know I’m working, my husband is working, I had to renew my drivers license and that was $50 bucks and that was my diaper money and I need diapers,'” Welsh said.

Bottoms Up partners with more than 70 community food pantries and childcare centers to connect with mothers in need.

One of those is St. Stephens Community House in Columbus.

“We've been able to serve a couple hundred families with diapers in the last two years and those numbers I think are going to keep increasing,” said Raymond Rhone, the food nutrition coordinator for St. Stephens Community House.

Employees at St. Stephens say their goal is to lift some stress off their customer's shoulders. This partnership does just that.

“We recently had a customer who was very vocal and emphasized how much of a Godsend it is to be able to get diapers at no cost to her whatsoever and how much it has benefited her family,” Rhone said.

Bottoms Up is always looking for more volunteers to deliver the diapers and donations from the community.

You can either donate directly to one of their warehouses or they have an Amazon Wishlist available on their website where your donation will be delivered directly to them.