Diaper Assistance Grant (Washington State)

Diaper Assistance Grant (Washington State) is sponsored by Washington State. Washington State has allocated grant funding to diaper banks for the purchasing of diapers, wipes, and other essential products that families need. This is a state-level investment to expand diaper distribution programs.

Free diaper program for low-income Washington families cut in half | Cascade PBS { member. metadata. pbs_uid = event?.

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connected" :data-member-has-passport="member?. has_pbs_passport" :data-member-loaded="member?. loaded" :data-country-code="countryCode" Free diaper program for low-income Washington families cut in half In 2024, grant-funded organizations distributed more than 13 million baby products, but the new state budget will reduce access to these essentials.

Xiomara De La Rosa, Help Me Grow Skagit Family Resource Center program and distribution manager, unpacks and organizes diapers and other items to make bags of supplies for families in need. Grants to diaper banks like the Help Me Grow Skagit Family Resource Center have just seen a 50% cut in state funding due to budget cuts.

(Ting-Li Wang for Cascade PBS) You may reprint in any medium You may edit only for tense and timeliness If republishing in print you can edit for length if you follow our print republishing guidelines. You may write your own headline Include a byline and shirttail with credit and link to Cascade PBS Include our tracking pixel <p><em>This story is part of an ongoing series looking into recent cuts to Washington’s state budget.

If there are impacts you think we should be covering, reach out to </em><a href="mailto:laurel. demkovich@cascadepbs. org"><em>laurel.

demkovich@cascadepbs. org</em></a><em>. </em></p><p>A few years ago, a woman brought her new baby to Vanessa Behan, a Spokane child care center and family resource organization open 24 hours, seven days a week.

The infant was always fussy at home, and she couldn’t figure out why. </p><p>With the baby in their care, staff began asking the mom questions about the baby’s eating habits. They learned the family was watering down formula to make it last longer because they couldn’t afford to buy more, executive director Amy Knapton Vega recalled.

</p><p>So staff members sent the family home with an extra can of formula and connected them with other resources in the community, including nutrition support programs for low-income families. </p><p>“Think about that mom’s stress levels from not being able to provide for her child and from having a fussy baby every day,” Vega said.

“Being able to resolve that with something so simple as an extra can of formula speaks volumes as to why programs like this are important. ”</p><p>Vanessa Behan is one of 23 organizations that received funding through a state grant program for diaper banks, which provide diapers, wipes and other essential baby products to low-income families. </p><p>For the past four years, that program distributed $2.

5 million annually in grants to organizations across Washington. In 2024 alone, it helped distribute more than 13 million baby products to families across the state. </p><p>But starting last week, the funding for the grant program was slashed by 50<strong>% </strong>as state budget cuts became a reality in the new fiscal year.

Lawmakers <a href="https://www. cascadepbs. org/politics/2025/04/breakdown-washingtons-new-78b-two-year-state-budget/">trimmed nearly $3 billion in spending</a> over the next two years to account for a $15 billion shortfall.

</p><p>The cuts will force dozens of already-strained organizations that provide these resources to stretch their dollars even further, likely resulting in reduced access to clean diapers for thousands of low-income families. </p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www. cascadepbs.

org/content/images/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_1-1. JPG" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="2000" height="1254" srcset="https://www. cascadepbs.

org/content/images/size/w600/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_1-1. JPG 600w, https://www. cascadepbs.

org/content/images/size/w1000/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_1-1. JPG 1000w, https://www. cascadepbs.

org/content/images/size/w1600/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_1-1. JPG 1600w, https://www. cascadepbs.

org/content/images/size/w2400/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_1-1. JPG 2400w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">De La Rosa organizes wipes to make bags of supplies for families in need.

(Ting-Li Wang for Cascade PBS)</span></figcaption></figure><h2 id="%E2%80%98demand-is-so-high%E2%80%99"><strong>‘Demand is so high’</strong></h2><p>Half of U.S. families with young children struggle to afford clean diapers, <a href="https://nationaldiaperbanknetwork. org/the-need/? ref=cascadepbs.

org">according to the National Diaper Bank Network. </a> For children, a lack of clean diapers can mean more rashes, infections or medical needs. For parents and caregivers, it can mean having to spend more money on medical visits, missing work to care for their children, and skipping meals and other necessities to help cover the cost of baby products.

</p><p>“The demand is so high, and the need is so great in the community,” said Karl Hoffmann, Community Services Block Grants program manager at the state Department of Commerce. </p><p>In Washington, 31% of children are members of families who earn less than 200% of the federal poverty line, or $53,300 for a family of three in 2025. </p><p>Diapers, formula and other essentials for babies are “incredibly expensive,” Vega said.

<strong> </strong>“It can be a real stress and strain for parents. ”</p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www. cascadepbs.

org/news/2025/06/wa-budget-cuts-could-eliminate-education-services-for-some-foster-youth/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">WA budget cuts could eliminate education services for some foster youth</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">A statewide org that helps roughly 6,400 kids access sports, driver’s ed, graduation programs and more, will lose about a third of its funding in July.

</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www. cascadepbs. org/content/images/icon/favicon-192x192-12.

png" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">Cascade PBS</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Laurel Demkovich</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www. cascadepbs. org/content/images/thumbnail/Treehouse_GH_HERO.

JPG" alt="" onerror="this. style. display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><p>If families don’t have enough diapers, they may resort to keeping children in diapers longer than they should, which can lead to rashes or infections, Vega said.

</p><p>Not being able to afford diapers and other baby products can also put families under greater financial stress, said Cate Anderson, executive director of the Children’s Museum of Skagit County and the Help Me Grow Skagit Family Resource Center. </p><p>Many child care centers require caregivers to provide a specific number of diapers for each child in order to enroll.

If a family can’t afford the diapers, Anderson said, they can’t put their child in care, which can also keep them out of the workforce. </p><p>“The impacts are really far-reaching,” Anderson said. </p><p>Free diapers can be essential to helping families make ends meet each month, Vega said.

</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www. cascadepbs. org/content/images/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_2-1.

JPG" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://www. cascadepbs. org/content/images/size/w600/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_2-1.

JPG 600w, https://www. cascadepbs. org/content/images/size/w1000/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_2-1.

JPG 1000w, https://www. cascadepbs. org/content/images/size/w1600/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_2-1.

JPG 1600w, https://www. cascadepbs. org/content/images/size/w2400/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_2-1.

JPG 2400w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Rosa Paz, Help Me Grow Skagit Family resource navigator, gathers diapers and other items fir the supply bags for families in need. At full funding, Help Me Grow was able to distribute as many as 17,000 diapers a month.

(Ting-Li Wang for Cascade PBS)</span></figcaption></figure><h2 id="impact-of-cuts"><strong>Impact of cuts</strong></h2><p>Local organizations and the state Department of Commerce are still trying to figure out how to handle the reduction in funding. </p><p>Hoffmann said he’s not sure how the department will distribute the remaining $2. 5 million over the next two years to ensure it will have the greatest impact across the state.

</p><p>“The reduction of funding is challenging for a need that’s so great,” Hoffmann said. </p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www. cascadepbs.

org/news/2025/05/wa-budget-cuts-hit-legal-orgs-helping-clear-voided-drug-convictions/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">WA budget cuts hit legal orgs helping clear voided drug convictions</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">Three groups lean on state support to help people expunge charges nullified by a recent WA Supreme Court ruling. That funding could become obsolete.

</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www. cascadepbs. org/content/images/icon/favicon-192x192-9.

png" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">Cascade PBS</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Moe K. Clark / InvestigateWest</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www. cascadepbs.

org/content/images/thumbnail/legal_aid_cuts_invw-hero. jpg" alt="" onerror="this. style.

display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><p>Most programs receive funding from multiple sources, including federal programs and private donations. But for some, the state grant represents a huge portion of their diaper budget, he said. </p><p>Vanessa Behan receives most of its funding from private sources, but its diaper bank relies heavily on the state grant.

</p><p>Before the cuts, the organization was able to provide families with 50 diapers per month, Vega said. But with the state funding cuts, the organization has had to cut back to 25 diapers per family per month. </p><p>And the cuts could go even deeper.

The organization’s fundraising efforts this year have brought in less money and fewer diapers than they had planned, she said, so they may need to cut back to 12 or 15 diapers per family in the coming months. </p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://www. cascadepbs.

org/content/images/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_3. JPG" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="2000" height="1333" srcset="https://www. cascadepbs.

org/content/images/size/w600/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_3. JPG 600w, https://www. cascadepbs.

org/content/images/size/w1000/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_3. JPG 1000w, https://www. cascadepbs.

org/content/images/size/w1600/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_3. JPG 1600w, https://www. cascadepbs.

org/content/images/size/w2400/2025/07/Diapers_TLW_IN_TEXT_3. JPG 2400w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"><figcaption><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">De La Rosa walks out of her office to deliver supplies for families in need. (Ting-Li Wang for Cascade PBS)</span></figcaption></figure><p>At the Help Me Grow Skagit Family Resource Center, the state funding grant makes up most of the diaper bank’s funding.

The financial support helped the bank distribute as many as 17,000 diapers a month. </p><figure class="kg-card kg-bookmark-card"><a class="kg-bookmark-container" href="https://www. cascadepbs.

org/news/2025/06/wa-abortion-access-at-critical-risk-after-state-cuts-advocates-say/"><div class="kg-bookmark-content"><div class="kg-bookmark-title">WA abortion access at critical risk after state cuts, advocates say</div><div class="kg-bookmark-description">After the Dobbs decision, Washington saw a sharp increase in patients seeking reproductive care. But the new budget cuts clinics’ funding in half.

</div><div class="kg-bookmark-metadata"><img class="kg-bookmark-icon" src="https://www. cascadepbs. org/content/images/icon/favicon-192x192-10.

png" alt=""><span class="kg-bookmark-author">Cascade PBS</span><span class="kg-bookmark-publisher">Scarlet Hansen</span></div></div><div class="kg-bookmark-thumbnail"><img src="https://www. cascadepbs. org/content/images/thumbnail/Abortion10--1-.

JPG" alt="" onerror="this. style. display = 'none'"></div></a></figure><p>“It’s a critical need in our community,” Anderson said.

<strong> </strong>“We certainly hope [the grant] comes back again. ”</p><p>Anderson said they are trying to be as creative as possible to avoid cutting back on resources for families. She said the Help Me Grow Skagit Family Resource Center is partnering with other community organizations and soliciting private donations to supplement the reduced state funding.

</p><p>“We’ll do everything in our power to ensure that we can continue to serve all the families that we serve,” she said. </p><p>For families who rely on diaper banks, the cuts could have a long-term effect on their children’s development, Vega said. When a child knows they are taken care of, they come to school ready to learn and aren’t as disruptive, she said.

Those behaviors can lead to poor outcomes later on, like becoming unhoused or facing legal consequences. </p><p>But without access to clean diapers and other necessary support, she said, she worries families may end up sacrificing other needs that could impact their children. </p><p>“Many of our families have become very reliant on this,” Vega said.

“If this goes away, what else gives? ”</p> This story is part of an ongoing series looking into recent cuts to Washington’s state budget. If there are impacts you think we should be covering, reach out to laurel.

demkovich@cascadepbs. org . A few years ago, a woman brought her new baby to Vanessa Behan, a Spokane child care center and family resource organization open 24 hours, seven days a week.

The infant was always fussy at home, and she couldn’t figure out why. With the baby in their care, staff began asking the mom questions about the baby’s eating habits. They learned the family was watering down formula to make it last longer because they couldn’t afford to buy more, executive director Amy Knapton Vega recalled.

So staff members sent the family home with an extra can of formula and connected them with other resources in the community, including nutrition support programs for low-income families. “Think about that mom’s stress levels from not being able to provide for her child and from having a fussy baby every day,” Vega said.

“Being able to resolve that with something so simple as an extra can of formula speaks volumes as to why programs like this are important. ” Vanessa Behan is one of 23 organizations that received funding through a state grant program for diaper banks, which provide diapers, wipes and other essential baby products to low-income families. For the past four years, that program distributed $2.

5 million annually in grants to organizations across Washington. In 2024 alone, it helped distribute more than 13 million baby products to families across the state. But starting last week, the funding for the grant program was slashed by 50 % as state budget cuts became a reality in the new fiscal year.

Lawmakers trimmed nearly $3 billion in spending over the next two years to account for a $15 billion shortfall. The cuts will force dozens of already-strained organizations that provide these resources to stretch their dollars even further, likely resulting in reduced access to clean diapers for thousands of low-income families. De La Rosa organizes wipes to make bags of supplies for families in need.

(Ting-Li Wang for Cascade PBS) ‘Demand is so high’ Half of U.S. families with young children struggle to afford clean diapers, according to the National Diaper Bank Network. For children, a lack of clean diapers can mean more rashes, infections or medical needs.

For parents and caregivers, it can mean having to spend more money on medical visits, missing work to care for their children, and skipping meals and other necessities to help cover the cost of baby products. “The demand is so high, and the need is so great in the community,” said Karl Hoffmann, Community Services Block Grants program manager at the state Department of Commerce.

In Washington, 31% of children are members of families who earn less than 200% of the federal poverty line, or $53,300 for a family of three in 2025. Diapers, formula and other essentials for babies are “incredibly expensive,” Vega said. “It can be a real stress and strain for parents.

” WA budget cuts could eliminate education services for some foster youth A statewide org that helps roughly 6,400 kids access sports, driver’s ed, graduation programs and more, will lose about a third of its funding in July. Cascade PBS Laurel Demkovich If families don’t have enough diapers, they may resort to keeping children in diapers longer than they should, which can lead to rashes or infections, Vega said.

Not being able to afford diapers and other baby products can also put families under greater financial stress, said Cate Anderson, executive director of the Children’s Museum of Skagit County and the Help Me Grow Skagit Family Resource Center. Many child care centers require caregivers to provide a specific number of diapers for each child in order to enroll.

If a family can’t afford the diapers, Anderson said, they can’t put their child in care, which can also keep them out of the workforce. “The impacts are really far-reaching,” Anderson said. Free diapers can be essential to helping families make ends meet each month, Vega said.

Rosa Paz, Help Me Grow Skagit Family resource navigator, gathers diapers and other items fir the supply bags for families in need. At full funding, Help Me Grow was able to distribute as many as 17,000 diapers a month. (Ting-Li Wang for Cascade PBS) Impact of cuts Local organizations and the state Department of Commerce are still trying to figure out how to handle the reduction in funding.

Hoffmann said he’s not sure how the department will distribute the remaining $2. 5 million over the next two years to ensure it will have the greatest impact across the state. “The reduction of funding is challenging for a need that’s so great,” Hoffmann said.

WA budget cuts hit legal orgs helping clear voided drug convictions Three groups lean on state support to help people expunge charges nullified by a recent WA Supreme Court ruling. That funding could become obsolete. Cascade PBS Moe K.

Clark / InvestigateWest Most programs receive funding from multiple sources, including federal programs and private donations. But for some, the state grant represents a huge portion of their diaper budget, he said. Vanessa Behan receives most of its funding from private sources, but its diaper bank relies heavily on the state grant.

Before the cuts, the organization was able to provide families with 50 diapers per month, Vega said. But with the state funding cuts, the organization has had to cut back to 25 diapers per family per month. And the cuts could go even deeper.

The organization’s fundraising efforts this year have brought in less money and fewer diapers than they had planned, she said, so they may need to cut back to 12 or 15 diapers per family in the coming months. De La Rosa walks out of her office to deliver supplies for families in need. (Ting-Li Wang for Cascade PBS) At the Help Me Grow Skagit Family Resource Center, the state funding grant makes up most of the diaper bank’s funding.

The financial support helped the bank distribute as many as 17,000 diapers a month. WA abortion access at critical risk after state cuts, advocates say After the Dobbs decision, Washington saw a sharp increase in patients seeking reproductive care. But the new budget cuts clinics’ funding in half.

Cascade PBS Scarlet Hansen “It’s a critical need in our community,” Anderson said. “We certainly hope [the grant] comes back again. ” Anderson said they are trying to be as creative as possible to avoid cutting back on resources for families.

She said the Help Me Grow Skagit Family Resource Center is partnering with other community organizations and soliciting private donations to supplement the reduced state funding. “We’ll do everything in our power to ensure that we can continue to serve all the families that we serve,” she said. For families who rely on diaper banks, the cuts could have a long-term effect on their children’s development, Vega said.

When a child knows they are taken care of, they come to school ready to learn and aren’t as disruptive, she said. Those behaviors can lead to poor outcomes later on, like becoming unhoused or facing legal consequences. But without access to clean diapers and other necessary support, she said, she worries families may end up sacrificing other needs that could impact their children.

“Many of our families have become very reliant on this,” Vega said. “If this goes away, what else gives? ” Laurel Demkovich is a former state politics reporter for Cascade PBS.

Previously, she covered state government in Olympia for the Washington State Standard and the Spokesman-Review. Laurel Demkovich is a former state politics reporter for Cascade PBS. Previously, she covered state government in Olympia for the Washington State Standard and the Spokesman-Review.