Ellen Pompeo 'Scrubs In' to Help Huggies® Brand Kick-Off National Diaper Drive for 'Every Little Bottom'

DALLAS, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- In an ongoing effort to help the 1 in 3 American mothers who struggle to provide diapers for their babies(i), Kimberly-Clark's Huggies Brand today announced it will launch a first-of-its-kind national diaper drive as part of its program, Every Little Bottom. The diaper drive will include a series of local drives, events, a donation from the brand and other activities to generate up to 20 million diapers for babies in need.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101005/CG76172)

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101005/CG76172)

"As a new mom, I was shocked when I learned how prevalent diaper need is in the U.S. It is heartbreaking to imagine the ongoing struggle these moms face to provide enough diapers to change their babies and the toll that takes on babies in our own communities," said actress and mother of one Ellen Pompeo. "I am proud to be an Every Little Bottom ambassador to help spread the word, and encourage communities to help us collect and donate diapers to babies in need."

National Diaper Drive Helps Diaper Babies in Local Communities

From its inception, Every Little Bottom has worked collaboratively with partners, including diaper banks, to help bring attention to the issue of diaper need and to help develop a sustainable solution. This includes ongoing efforts to build awareness of diaper need, additional diaper donations from Huggies and its partners, and now activating valuable national and local partnerships to mobilize local communities to get involved.

• Diaper Your Baby, and a Baby in Need: This fall, each specially-marked pack of Huggies diapers or wipes purchased will help diaper a baby in need. Through December 31, 2010, Huggies will donate up to 18 million diapers as a result of this effort, making the 2010 program donation up to 20 million diapers.
• Donate with Virtual Diaper Drive: At EveryLIttleBottom.com, a zip code finder helps identify the closest organization that accepts diapers. Donations can be made via an Amazon Wish List created specifically by the organization to ensure contributions go towards the products needed most.
• Attend Community Events: Partners of Every Little Bottom will be hosting up to 1500 local events, like diaper drives. Local chapters of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Junior Leagues, National Coalition of Pastors' Spouses, National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri, and United Way have committed to hosting events. Visit EveryLittleBottom.com to find out about local events, and learn more about how March of Dimes and National Latina Health Network are helping address diaper need.
• Host a diaper drive or other activity: Individual clubs or schools interested in hosting diaper drives or adults interested in hosting baby showers, office drives to benefit diaper need can find resources at EveryLittleBottom.com to help. From easy "how to" steps to flyer and invitation templates, these tools will help groups and individuals get started and offer directions on how to share results.
• Shop at your local retailer: To show support for Every Little Bottom, retailers are helping to generate even more diapers for babies in need:
  • As part of its "Crawl to a Million" effort, Walmart will donate an extra diaper for every Huggies pack purchased in its stores from October through December, up to a total of 1 million diapers.
  • Sam's Club will be hosting diaper drives nationwide with collection bins in every club. Diapers donated in each club will benefit local babies in need.
  • Kroger will support Every Little Bottom in every store during December with a major sale on diapers. Additionally, Ralphs (which is Kroger-owned) will organize diaper drives and events in select Southern California cities to help address the issue of diaper need. Check with a local retailer to learn if they are participating.

"The national expansion of Huggies Every Little Bottom will allow us to help even more babies across the country," said Stu Schneider, senior director of the Huggies Brand.  "And, the ability for us to truly localize this effort through the help of our dedicated partners and retailers to help babies right in their own backyards is critical to making an impact."

Efficient Distribution of Diapers

The diapers donated will reach babies in need through two Every Little Bottom partners – a network of diaper banks and Feeding America.

• Diaper Banks: Ten local diaper banks in the U.S. have been critical, ongoing partners of Every Little Bottom and will receive up to 1 million diapers collectively this fall as part of the donation.  
• Feeding America: As the nation's leading hunger organization, Feeding America is a new Every Little Bottom partner and a critical piece in supporting national distribution. Through its network of food banks, Feeding America will efficiently distribute the largest donation of diapers it has ever received to those in need across the country.

"Like food, diapers are a basic essential for families and they are increasingly being requested by the families we serve," said Wendy MacGregor, chief marketing officer for Feeding America. "When we learned that 1 in 3 mothers struggling with diaper need are cutting back on food in order to provide diapers, it was a natural fit for us to join Huggies and distribute diapers through our well-established network of more than 200 food banks."

The Implications of Diaper Need on Babies

According to the Huggies Every Little Bottom Study, one-third of moms struggling with diaper need run out of clean diapers monthly or more often. Babies may be kept in wet, dirty diapers for extended periods of time or, in more extreme cases, made to wear used diapers which have been cleaned or dried out. This may lead to babies suffering not just physically but emotionally. Babies in diaper need are more likely to show signs of irritation and discomfort, cry or suffer more from diaper rash when they can not be changed than babies who are not living in diaper need.

To learn more, visit EveryLittleBottom.com. The Huggies Enjoy the Ride Rewards™ program also allows members to donate points to help diaper babies in need. Or, receive updates by following us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

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 groundbreaking new study commissioned by Kimberly-Clark 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 138-year history of innovation, visit www.Kimberly-Clark.com.

About Feeding America

Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

(i) These mothers have had to cut back on basics such as food, utilities like heat or electricity, or even child care in order to provide enough diapers. The Huggies® Every Little Bottom thought-leadership study was conducted by Abt SRBI in collaboration with Dr. Cybele Raver, the director of New York University's Institute of Human Development and Social Change, and Dr. Nicole Letourneau, Canada Research Chair in Healthy Child Development and Professor at the University of New Brunswick.  The telephone survey averaged 20 minutes in duration and was fielded in English and Spanish in the United States, and English and French in Canada.  The study was fielded in February 2010 among a nationally representative sample of mothers with babies 0-4 years old who currently use diapers in the United States and Canada. In total, 1,513 mothers in the United States and 1,008 mothers in Canada were surveyed.  The study includes a representative sample of American mothers living in poverty and Canadian mothers living below the low income limit (based on governmental guidelines). At the 95% confidence level, the study has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points in either direction for the United States (1,513 sample), and 3.1 percentage points in either direction for Canada (1,008 sample).  The margin of error increases for smaller subgroups evaluated. Opinion polls in general can be subject to other errors based on practical difficulties in conducting surveys.

SOURCE Kimberly-Clark