The percentage of Kalamazoo children living in households that don’t earn enough to support their families:
48%
Almost half of all children in Kalamazoo are part of families earning an income below the ALICE income threshold and struggle to afford the essentials. ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — households that earn less than the basic cost of living for our county.
Diaper Need
the lack of a sufficient supply of diapers to keep a baby or toddler clean, dry, and healthy
Period Poverty
inadequate access to period products needed to participate in daily activities due to financial constraints
1 in 3 Families
in Kalamazoo struggle with adequate access to diapers.
1 in 4 Teenagers
in the US have missed class due to period poverty.
However…
there are zero federal or state programs that assist with diaper need or period poverty.
What Care Collective is doing about it
The only solution to menstruators and caregivers lacking products is
Creating Barrier-free Access to Diapers and Period Products.
Care Collective provides essential care, no questions asked. We believe that access to basic essentials is a human right. Caregivers deserve the peace of mind that comes from knowing their children's needs are met, while menstruators should be able to navigate daily life with minimal shame and discomfort.
BIPOC and LGBTQ caregivers and menstruators experience disproportionate barriers when accessing products. Care Collective prioritizes partnerships with BIPOC and Queer-led to ensure historically marginalized communities receive the care they need.
Care Collective is not inevitable. By providing diapers and period products, we support caregivers and menstruators until systemic changes eliminate the need for basic essentials banks. We advocate for the policies that make products more accessible and affordable.
Physical and mental health are two key benefits from access. When caregivers and menstruators have adequate access to supplies, they can change products as needed. This prevents health risks that rise from overuse and alleviates the mental stress of being forced to go without.
How we actually do it
We can’t do this alone.
A mix of donations and bulk purchases come into the Care Collective warehouse. Volunteers unbox, count, and inspect all products for quality, then repackage them into one-week diaper kits and one-month period kits.
These kits are then delivered to our distribution partners who ensure essential care reaches our community!