“Metropolitan Detroit Diaper Bank is a life saver in times of a crisis.’’ Those words of gratitude at the onset of the COVID 19 Pandemic, by Detroit mother Rosalyn Renaye, may well sum up the critical role that Metropolitan Detroit Diaper Bank (MDDB) plays in ensuring that children in Metro Detroit, and others experiencing complex medical issues, can remain clean, dry and healthy.
The organization’s unique mission took on heightened urgency as the pandemic threats to the economy in turn drove up diaper demand. “I literally am on my last diapers with little money due to the failing economy,’’ Renaye wrote on MMBD’s website, “yet I was able to receive diapers for two of my children!” MDDB’s ability to keep its pledge to parents and grandparents like Renaye was in part made possible by the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation’s decision to increase s emergency funding to address the pandemic’s ongoing impact.
As a result of the support, MDDB went into “Rapid Response Mode,’’ determined to continue its mission but with safety first. A portion of the Foundation’s investment was dedicated to purchasing Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), education and training, including establishing a new virtual toilet training model to help parents take advantage of extra time at home with their children during the pandemic. MMDB was also faced with developing new support models after it temporarily suspended community donations and volunteer repack events.
However, MDDB’s core services actually began to flourish. MDDB’s volunteer base increased and the amount of diapers given to each child per month doubled. More than 200,500 diapers were given to children and people with incontinence issues, as MMBD established new pickup locations to meet the need.
The Foundation is honored to help partners strengthen their resources and their resolve to rise beyond the continued threat of COVID-19.
