Volunteering for St. Luke’s Diaper Bank
St. Luke’s Diaper Bank is always looking for volunteers, whether individuals or a group, to help us repackage diapers for distribution. If you are interested in helping, join our network of volunteers below to be notified of upcoming events! You can also apply to have a private event for your group and we’ll schedule a time for you to volunteer!
We are also looking for individual volunteers to help with diaper distributions on Tuesday mornings from 9:00 am-12:00 pm. These spots fill up quick, so join our network of volunteers to be notified when need arises.
What Can I Do as a Volunteer?
Unloading
Before we can deliver diapers to local families, we need to acquire these diapers and get them to our storage and repackaging facility at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. When we receive large orders, loading the diapers is traditionally the job of a forklift. Unloading them is a completely different story.
Unloading a truck of diapers can take on a couple of different appearances, but anyone helping unload can expect the following:
- Lift roughly 20 pounds at a time
- Go up and down a flight of stairs many times
- Climb up into our truck to pull diaper boxes
- Sort diaper boxes onto the correct pallets in storage
Unloading is the best exercise we get at SLDB –especially for your legs and back. There’s a lot of moving parts in unloading, so we are always happy to place you in a position that works best for you. Nothing beats the feeling of an empty truck and our diaper storage full to the ceiling!
Repackaging
We distribute diapers to local families twice a week. What we give to families is an approximate one week supply of diapers –a bag of 50 diapers and a pack of wipes. Most of the diapers we receive do not come in packs of 50, so we need to count, bag, label, and sort these diapers so they’re ready for distribution.
Repackaging diapers does not vary greatly, but anyone helping repackage can expect the following:
- Opening diaper boxes using a boxcutter
- Counting diapers into groups of 50
- Packing diapers into bags and applying a label
- Sorting diapers into storage crates
Repackaging is a pretty easy job and gives you plenty of time to chat with staff and volunteers. Plus, each package of 50 diapers is one more child in our community who is healthy, dry, and clean. At no point during repackaging would you be expected to work outside and you would only need to go up or down stairs when you first arrive and when you leave.
Distribution
Distribution is the final step of our work. During our distributions we will greet caregivers as they arrive, ask what size diaper they need, and ask if they would like to answer a short demographic survey. There is no criteria or requirement that an individual must meet in order to receive diapers from us.
Distributions can look a little different, but anyone helping with a distribution can expect the following:
- Stand in the heat or cold
- Greet caregivers and ask them for some basic information
- Keep track of the supply of diapers
Helping with distribution lets you get some fresh air while you directly help those experiencing diaper need. Distributions are wonderful for those who enjoy talking with members of their community. Anyone can help with a distribution and we are happy to accommodate whatever needs you may have when you volunteer with us.