2020 Annual Report

Letter from the CEO

A year ago, I began the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) annual report with what now seems to be a rather naïve question, “Where do you get the drive to continue even when things are hard?”

Clearly, 2020 has shown that life has a way of redefining “hard,” causing each of us to radically change nearly every aspect of our daily lives. This is also true of NDBN as an organization. The unprecedented challenges of this tumultuous year have revealed two fundamental truths:

• Material Basic Necessities Are Essential.
• Our Work Matters.

Way back in January, the American Journal of Public Health published a study that recognized diaper need as a public health issue. This marked a huge milestone for NDBN and further validated our cause which we have considered a public health crisis in the US since our founding in 2011.

Weeks later, the true impact of the COVID-19 pandemic began to take hold. Our worlds stopped. Retail shelves emptied. People panicked. Suddenly there was no toilet paper, no diapers, no period supplies for anyone, regardless of income. What life is like without material basic necessities became an unexpected reality for millions of people throughout the country.

As we began working virtually from our homes, NDBN did not retreat. We engaged with other leaders of our movement. We pushed forward, focusing on

• Real Talk
• Real Action
• Real Support
• Real Impact

Our 2020 Annual Report offers highlights of what can only be described as an unprecedented year of both adversity and opportunity.

As always, if you find you have questions about the work of NDBN and/or the Alliance for Period Supplies, please contact me or a member of our amazing team.

We are committed to advancing simple solutions to end diaper need, period poverty, and the lack of access to other material basic necessities in the US.

Thank you for your interest and your support.

Joanne Samuel Goldblum
Chief Executive Officer

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