The Hunterdon Hygiene Connection is a partnership between the United Way of Hunterdon County and food pantries and agencies throughout the county. Our goal is 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.
How can you contribute?
If you can help our community meet these needs, we have several ways you can contribute.
- Buy products locally and drop them off at our Volunteer Center:
United Way of Hunterdon County Community Volunteer Center
20 Fulper Road
Flemington, NJ 08822
(908) 237-1689
Run a Hygiene Product Collection Drive
Complete this form to get started!
Download the Hygiene Product Drive Toolkit that includes a flyer, progress sheet, and signage.
Contact Laura Hernandez at 908-237-1689 or email health@uwhunterdon.org to learn more about running a hygiene product drive.