Janelle Irwin Taylor
The Junior League of Tampa is launching its Diaper Bank as a stand-alone nonprofit that will continue work to provide diapers to those in need.
As part of its new endeavor, the Junior League is recruiting members of the Tampa Bay area community for its Board of Directors. Applications to serve on the Board are open on the Junior League of Tampa website, and are due by May 31.
The selection committee for the new Board includes Chair Andrew Smith, along with Tampa City Council member Luis Viera, Michelle Shimberg, Mindy Murphy, Andrew Kirwan and Adri Colina.
The Board will be responsible for making decisions impacting the organization’s long-term success, and ability to meet its mission. Members will be required to lend their time and expertise to the Diaper Bank Board, including a 20-hour per month anticipated monthly commitment.
The Diaper Bank will launch initially without paid staff, and will be run by volunteers.
The Junior League of Tampa founded the Diaper Bank in 2018. It distributes more than 1 million diapers in Hillsborough County each year. Volunteers collect, purchase and pack diapers for more than 16 community partners who receive the diapers free of charge. Those partners then provide the diapers to families in need.
Transitioning the program into a stand-alone nonprofit ensures long-term sustainability and will facilitate investment into future growth.
The Junior League of Tampa expects the new nonprofit to be fully independent in January.
While statewide safety net programs are available to provide food, health care, housing, and other services to help provide help to those struggling, diapers are not covered through traditional programs. That leaves local charities as often the only source for diapers for families who cannot otherwise afford them.
The Junior League of Tampa was founded in 1926 and is an organization of 1,900 women who promote volunteerism, the development of women and the improvement of communities through volunteer action and leadership.
