Chicago is in the midst of a silent crisis — one that affects thousands of its youngest residents every day. Families across the city are struggling to afford diapers, a basic but essential need for children. With diaper costs having soared by nearly 50 percent since the pandemic, and families facing cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, the issue of diaper need has reached emergency levels.
For years, Share Our Spare (SOS) has been on the front lines of addressing this urgent challenge. Through a vital partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, SOS was able to distribute nearly 17 million diapers to families in need throughout the past four years. This collaboration supported 50 food pantries across Chicago and offered a lifeline to caregivers who had no other means of accessing diapers for their children.
But as of June 30th, 2025, that partnership has ended, leaving a major service gap in the community. For thousands of families who once relied on food pantries to access diapers, the loss is devastating.
“The end of our partnership with the Food Depository means that public access to diapers has been severely diminished,” says Alex Goodfellow, Executive Director of SOS. “We’re doing everything we can to find new funding and partnerships to fill this critical gap. We’re not giving up — because families are counting on us.”
The need is staggering. Nationally, half of all families report struggling to afford diapers. In Chicago, the burden is great, especially among low-income families and newly arrived migrants, the latter who resort to rationing or reusing diapers due to supply shortages. Without clean diapers, children cannot attend daycare, forcing caregivers to stay home from work. This loss in income — averaging $630 per month for some — can set families back even further…