Lane County Diaper Bank seeks boxes to avoid distribution delays

A shortage of clean, sturdy boxes has become the latest choke point for the Lane County Diaper Bank, and the impact could reach hundreds of local households that rely on monthly diaper deliveries.

The bank said on May 2 that it had run out of medium-to-large cartons needed to repackage diapers before distribution. Without those boxes, staff and volunteers cannot sort and pack diapers efficiently, creating delays in a system that serves families across Lane County, including Springfield and Eugene.

The nonprofit has said it serves between 300 and 600 families a month and distributes up to 20,000 diapers. That makes the request unusually specific but also unusually important: a shortage of cardboard can interrupt a safety-net operation that touches infants, caregivers and household budgets all over the county.

The need is not abstract. National Diaper Bank Network research says 1 in 2 U.S. families with young children cannot afford enough diapers. Earlier studies found diaper need rose from about 33% of families in 2010 to 47% in 2023. The group has also linked diaper insecurity to painful rashes, urinary tract infections, missed work or school and skipped meals as parents try to stretch money far enough to cover basic supplies. SNAP and WIC do not cover diapers or hygiene products, leaving nonprofit diaper banks to fill a gap in the public safety net.

Lane County has already seen how much labor it takes to keep that system moving. In one diaper drive, Eugene Police Department volunteers repackaged 14,450 diapers, enough to help up to 500 families with a pack of 25 diapers. That kind of volunteer work depends on the same thing the bank needs now: boxes that are clean, sturdy and ready to hold large quantities of donated diapers.

The diaper bank said it will accept medium-to-large boxes that are not heavily damaged, flattened or assembled. Donations can be dropped at its Springfield warehouse, and larger pickups can be arranged. The ask is simple, but the stakes are not: when the boxes stop moving, diaper deliveries can slow for families already balancing rent, groceries and child care.