Mothers for Others (MFO) was founded in 2011 by a group of mothers in Greenwich, Connecticut to collect gently-used baby equipment for local families in need. Parents and caregivers could shop our donation room for items they needed for their babies and toddlers. A robust donation network through area nursery schools and businesses ensured that our donation room always had inventory and the operation was run completely by volunteers.
By early 2016, we had become aware that many of our regular families were also experiencing diaper need. MFO’s leadership recognized that this was a more acute need than the need for baby equipment. Leveraging our existing partnerships, we added a diaper bank within the donation room. Local social serviceagencies referred families, who could receive a package of 50 diapers each month, approximately a one-week supply.
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 necessitated a change in our operating model. MFO pivoted from in-person distribution to a more efficient hub-and-spoke model with six partner agencies from Greenwich through Norwalk. We continue to operate this way, with the majority of clients receiving diapers through partner agencies. MFO also continues to distribute diapers from our office on a first-time and emergency basis, as well as through community diaper distribution events.
Since transitioning to operate solely as a diaper bank and a member of the Diaper Bank of Connecticut, MFO has dramatically increased our impact, going from 15,000 diapers in the first year to 200,000+ in 2022. We have now distributed over one million diapers to families throughout Fairfield County, earning the distinction of the largest independent diaper bank in Fairfield County.
