‘Diaper Drive’ Aims to Collect 100K Diapers Before New Year’s

ST. CLOUD -- Diapers are a big need for families in need and a local campaign is aiming to collect 100,000 of them before the end of the year.

Operation Baby New Year has collected over 12,000 diapers since the campaign began on December 10th. The diapers will be dispersed to five area organizations: The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Anna Marie's Alliance, and Place of Hope Ministries.

Organizer Justin Michael started the campaign when he reached out to local organizations after witnessing a domestic assault.

"One of the biggest needs that the shelters and organizations need are diapers," Michael says. "This time of year, we always hear about food drives and coats drives -- which we should support -- but diapers are always a huge need."

Michael says the collections are carried out by about 50 volunteers with the help of local businesses acting as drop-off sites.

"We've got so many people to rally around something as fun as collecting diapers," Michael says. "One of the things I've heard from our drop-off locations is that this is so fun, when people they've never met before come in and drop off literally hundreds of diapers."

"It's really cool to see so much unification around this simple need, which is diapers."

Michael says the most-needed sizes are 4-6. Drop off locations include Cream City Tattoo, The Paramount Theatre Box Office, Pioneer Place, and Central MN Boy Scouts Office.