Black Excellence: Danielle Edison, Her Story Inspired West Alabama’s Bottoms Up Diaper Bank

Danielle Edison is Black Excellence.

The Bottoms Up Diaper Bank is special to Edison because it was inspired by the desire to serve others. The idea to help other families was created from a real-life experience when she found herself in need of diaper assistance. She searched for diaper assistance programs but had no luck. Edison believes that people should know that “just because you have an income, does not mean you don’t need assistance.”

I haven’t needed to buy diapers, but I discovered the cost of disposable diapers in a quick search. According to Healthline, newborn babies can use between “8 to 12 diapers per day.” The diaper prices I found at a big box store all varied, but all were pretty close to $40 for a box of 140 diapers. You don’t have to be a mathematician to know that adds up quickly.

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After witnessing her own need for diaper assistance, Edison decided to start a diaper bank after the birth of her last child. Purchasing the diapers, she held her first distribution in January 2016. Because of her story and experience as a caseworker, she decided that her diaper bank would not be based on income.

The Bottoms Up Diaper Bank is very busy. Edison is proud that diaper distributions are held on the second and third Saturdays each month. On the second Saturday of the month, the diaper bank will be at the Woman to Woman, Inc. in Eutaw, Alabama, for Greene County area families. On the third Saturday of the month, you can find Edison at the New Life Baptist Church for Tuscaloosa, Alabama, area families.

This woman of Black Excellence has hopes to form even more relationships with various community organizations in an effort for them to host diaper collection drives. In addition, she has high hopes to collaborate with the school system to assist teen mothers. Edison is also thinking about the future. She said that she desires to have a mobile distribution set up where she “can reach families who are not able to make it to the distribution location.”

How YOU can help the Bottoms Up Diaper Bank:

There is a need for donors and business sponsorships.

They need reusable and sturdy donation boxes or containers for drop-off locations.

Supporters can host a diaper drive.

Volunteers are needed to count, sort, and repackage donations or assist with diaper distribution.

If supporters would like to give financially, they can donate via Paypal, cash app, or a check. Click here to get more information from their website.

Be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to help reach more people. Be sure to share their posts.

(Source) The writer's interview with Danielle Edison. Click here for more information from Healthline. Click here, to follow Bottoms Up Diaper Bank on Instagram, click here for Facebook, and click here for Twitter.