Spring Neighborhood Diaper Drive
March 22 – June 21, 2026
Why are we co-running a Diaper Drive?
This past winter, a young woman from Libbytown came forward at the Cosmic Mass with a desire to help her immigrant neighbors who were frightened by the ICE incursion. She wanted to do something real to help her own block. That impulse is where the Diaper Drive comes from.
Diapers are consistently one of the most urgent unmet needs for families with young children. There are two diaper banks in Portland doing important ongoing work, and we are glad they exist. We are not trying to become a third. This is something different: a one-time seasonal drive, like a canned food drive, direct and simple. Neighbors helping neighbors, right now, through the summer solstice.
Here is a quick look at what diapers actually cost a family:
8–12 diapers a day for infants; 6–8 for toddlers
$70–$160 average monthly cost per child
$1,000+ what families spend annually
SNAP and WIC do not cover diapers. For families already stretched thin, a pack a week is a real burden. A standard pack at the grocery store runs around $30-$35, and contains roughly 20 to 66 diapers depending on size and brand. Store brands are a great choice. If you have never bought diapers before, just look for the baby aisle and reach for a pack labeled Size 1, 2, 3, or 4. You cannot do this wrong.
Two easy ways to help:
Bring a pack to 302 Stevens Ave. Next time you come to a class, gathering, or event at Maine Center for Sacred Arts, bring a pack of diapers and drop it in the deck box on the porch. Look for the Diaper Drop off bin on the front porch under the purple flyer! That’s all. You’ve just helped a Portland family make it through the week.
Or give on Venmo. @Community_Diaper_Drive — any amount goes directly toward diapers for families in need.
This is mutual aid: low barrier, high impact, rooted in relationship. Every diaper is a day of dignity for a family in our neighborhood. Thank you for being the kind of community that shows up.