Lake Co. Businesses, Non-Profit Team Up For Holiday Diaper Drive

LAKE COUNTY, IL -- Area businesses once again are teaming up with Twice As Nice Mother & Child to fight diaper need in Lake County through the “Deck the Halls with Diapers” campaign. Now based in Waukegan after a recent move from its Gurnee offices, Twice As Nice is a nonprofit founded by Ann Marie Mathis in 2010. The organization has distributed more than 334,000 diapers so far this year through its on-site diaper bank and mobile diaper pantry.

That's about 134,000 more than in 2017 and 234,000 more than in 2016, Mathis said.

Diaper need affects one in three families, according to the National Diaper Bank Network. Safety net programs like food stamps or WIC do not cover diapers. Families with an inadequate supply often must leave their children in a single diaper all day, which can result in diaper rash and other, more severe health consequences.

“The need is growing, and we are grateful to our partners who are accepting donations at their places of business through Dec. 31,” Mathis said. “We aim to collect 30,000 diapers through 'Deck the Halls' this year, up from 20,000 last year.”

Drop-off sites are available in Waukegan, Grayslake, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, Gurnee, Vernon Hills, Antioch and Lake Forest. Cash donations also are accepted at twiceasnicemc.org. Such donations are essentially doubled through Twice As Nice's National Diaper Bank Network affiliation, which offers a preferred purchasing program, according to a news release.

“As people are out doing their holiday shopping or hitting the after-Christmas sales, we hope they will include a diaper drop-off along the way,” Mathis said. “It means more than donors might guess to recipient families, who often are faced with choices like keeping the heat on or buying diapers. People can also donate from the convenience of their homes by visiting Amazon.com, going to 'Find a List or Registry' and searching for Twice As Nice Mother & Child.”

This year’s Deck the Halls with Diapers drop-off locations include:

The Law Offices of David R. Del Re
200 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.
Waukegan, IL 60085
847-625-9800

Veteran Carpet Cleaning
10 N. Lake St.
Grayslake, IL 60030
815-608-1181

Fresh Salon
71 S. Whitney St.
Grayslake, IL 60030
847-986-3767

Diamond Residential Mortgage
533 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Libertyville, IL 60048
847-362-1335

Mowery & Schoenfeld LLC
475 Half Day Road, Suite 250
Lincolnshire, IL 60069
847-247-8959

North Shore Pro-Active Health
112 Lake St.
Libertyville, IL 60048
847-362-4476

The Exercise Coach
6695 Grand Ave.
Gurnee, IL 60031
847-855-9305

Fidelity National Title
1800 Nations Drive, Suite 209
Gurnee, IL 60031
847-263-1123

ASF Financial Services
1800 Nations Drive, Suite 117
Gurnee, IL 60031
847-855-4888s

Kiddie Academy of Gurnee
1555 Nations Drive
Gurnee, IL 60031
847-596-3052

Gurnee Community Bank
675 N. O’Plaine Road
Gurnee, IL 60031
847-625-3800

Vernon Hills Bank & Trust
1101 Lakeview Parkway
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
847-247-1300

Anastasia’s Restaurant
950 Hillside Ave.
Antioch, IL 60002
847-395-3939

Dearhaven Child Care
1100 N. Westmoreland Road
Lake Forest, IL 60045
847-535-6175

PHOTO CAPTION: Twice As Nice Mother & Child volunteer Gary Kwiecinski picks up donations at Mowery & Schoenfeld in Lincolnshire during last year's Deck the Halls with Diapers campaign. The 2018 collection is ongoing now through Dec. 31 at more than a dozen partnering business locations./PHOTO CREDIT: SUBMITTED