DALLAS, Nov. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- One-in-three American families struggle with diaper need, the ability to provide their children with an essential need – clean, dry diapers. To help address this issue, the Huggies brand announced the launch of the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN), the first national nonprofit dedicated to helping raise awareness of diaper need, build capacity of diaper banks and close the diaper gap in America.

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As the Founding Sponsor for the National Diaper Bank Network, Huggies Every Little Bottom is organizing "12 Days of Thanks," a cross-country tour where the brand will donate 12 million diapers in 12 cities over a 12-day period.  Markets include New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas, Denver, Sacramento, Minneapolis, Detroit and Columbus.

Since 2010, Huggies has donated 22.5 million diapers per year through the Every Little Bottom program to families in need in North America. With the launch of the NDBN, this diaper donation commitment will continue as the Every Little Bottom program aims to donate at least 20 million diapers per year to the NDBN.

"Diapers are a basic need for children, yet many families struggle to afford them and have few resources from which to seek help," said Joanne Goldblum, executive director of the National Diaper Bank Network. "Our national organization is dedicated to providing every child in America with the diapers they need to remain clean, dry and healthy."    

The need for diapers is growing as joblessness and the weak economy continues to impact families' abilities to buy supplies for their babies. In a 2010 survey, 34 percent of respondents had cut back on food, utilities or child care to buy diapers.(1) Most child care facilities require a day's worth of disposable diapers and when parents run out of diapers, they are forced to withdraw their child from child care. In a report by Adams and Rohacek, instability in child care arrangements has been linked to a range of negative outcomes in children, including problems with relationship attachment, social competence, behavior, cognitive ability, language development, school adjustment and overall well-being.(2)

"Our vision is to help America become a place where every family has access to the diapers they need for their child," says Aric Melzl, Brand Director at Kimberly-Clark and NDBN board member. "The National Diaper Bank Network will holistically address diaper need by strengthening diaper distribution resources and channels."

For more information on The National Diaper Bank Network, visit www.diaperbanknetwork.org.  For more information on Huggies Every Little Bottom, visit www.everylittlebottom.com.  

About The National Diaper Bank Network

The National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) is a newly formed national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing every child in the United States with the supply of diapers needed to remain clean, dry and healthy. The vision is to help America become a place where every family has access to the diapers they need for their child. The mission is to raise awareness of diaper need and build capacity of diaper banks by creating a national network of community partners.

About Huggies Every Little Bottom

Huggies Every Little Bottom has a single mission - to help get diapers to babies in need in the U.S. and Canada. The program was developed in response to a ground breaking new study that revealed the critical issue of diaper need. Diaper need is the struggle to provide babies with diapers. Today, 1 in 3 American and 1 in 5 Canadian mothers struggle with diaper need, and have had to cut back on basics - food, utilities such as heat or electricity, or even childcare - in order to provide enough diapers for their babies. With the support of partner organizations, grassroots efforts and moms across the country, the program will build awareness of the issue and work to create a long-term solution.

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people - nearly a quarter of the world's population - trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No.1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 139-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com.

Contact Information:

Contact: Rachel Cruise
312.297.6916
Rachel.cruise@edelman.com

Contact: Joey Mooring
972.281.1443
Joey.mooring@kcc.com

(1) Cybele Raver et al., Huggies® Every Little Bottom Study: Diaper Need in the U.S. and Canada, Kimberly-Clark: 2010.

(2) Gina Adams and Monica Rohacek, Child Care Instability: Definitions, Context, and Policy Implications, Urban Institute, 2010, p.6.

SOURCE Kimberly-Clark