Hunterdon Hygiene Connection

The Hunterdon Hygiene Connection (previously the Hunterdon Diaper Bank) is a partnership between the United Way of Hunterdon County and food pantries and agencies throughout the county, established to help ease some of the financial stress our neighbors experience by providing free diapers and baby supplies (wipes, lotions), menstrual hygiene products, and incontinence products. 

Why do we do this? 

One in three families struggle to afford diapers for their infants and toddlers. It costs about $1,000 for a 1-year supply of diapers for one child. For someone who works a full-time minimum wage job, or families with more than one child in diapers, this is a major expense. 

We are seeing an increased need to provide period products to individuals in our community who cannot afford or regularly access these supplies. This is also known as Period Poverty, and the results often lead to missed days of school and/or work. 

The monthly cost of adult incontinence products exceeds $300 per month, which is a high cost for adults with disabilities and our elderly neighbors. More than 2,000 senior households in Hunterdon County earn under $25,000 annually, and the monthly cost of incontinence products is often beyond their reach. 

The Hunterdon Hygiene Connection strives to meet a critical community need, as the supplies we collect are not covered by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants and Children (WIC), or other federal programs. The demand for supplies has been exacerbated by the pandemic. The Program has seen a 25% increase in diaper requests, and a 100% increase in incontinence requests from seniors. Over the last year, we regularly have needs that exceed the supply. 

Where are supplies distributed? 

We regularly provide items to our four food pantry partners throughout Hunterdon County, which include: 

Delaware Valley Food Pantry (Lambertville) 
Flemington Area Food Pantry (Flemington) 
Fisherman's Mark (Lambertville) 
Open Cupboard Food Pantry and Thrift Store (Clinton) 

The Hunterdon Hygiene Connection (previously the Hunterdon Diaper Bank) collects and distributes diapers, baby supplies, menstrual hygiene (also referred to as period products and incontinence products to help families with babies and young children, women, and seniors in our community with the personal products they need to maintain healthy and hygienic lives. 

The Hunterdon Hygiene Connection is a partnership between the United Way of Hunterdon County and food pantries and agencies throughout the county, established to help ease some of the financial stress our neighbors experience by offering products free of charge. 

Volunteer opportunities are available throughout the year. 

What volunteer opportunities are available? 

• Inventory of incoming donations

• Data entry 

• Product Drive coordinators 

Who can volunteer for this program? 

• Volunteers seeking daytime hours (some evening hours may be available) 

• Students (middle school with a parent) and older

• Retirees 

What traits are you looking for in a volunteer? 

This program has many facets to suit many skillsets and preferences, and all volunteers are welcome. 

When you are working with clients, we ask that you are patient, kind, and that you serve all clients with dignity and respect that is free of bias or discrimination. 

If you are unable to volunteer but would like to help by organizing a product drive, please download our Toolkit for further information or consider making a monetary donation. 

We believe every United Way community member, donor, volunteer, advocate, and employee has an obligation to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion and be actively anti-racist in their thoughts, work, and actions. We ask that all volunteers read and respect our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement of Principle.