Basic Necessities

Mission:
Basic Necessities is a Shreveport-based nonprofit diaper bank that collects and distributes diapers, wipes, and period product supplies at no cost to low-income individuals, families, and organizations in the ArkLaTex.

Basic Necessities is the only dedicated free diaper & period supply bank in North Louisiana.

Historically high poverty rates & low wages among working families make the ArkLaTex particularly vulnerable to diaper need & period poverty.

Public assistance programs like WIC, SNAP, and Medicaid do not cover the costs of these basic sanitary supplies unless they are prescribed by a doctor as part of a medical treatment plan; regular Medicare does not offer any assistance with incontinence supplies for senior citizens.

With access to free diapers & period supplies, children can attend daycare (where diapers are required for attendance) so their parents can go to work, students miss fewer days of school, and families have more money to spend on food and housing. These supplies also prevent unnecessary illnesses, doctor visits, medical expenses, and unsanitary living conditions.

Outcomes:
Since opening in June 2020, the diaper bank has distributed the following items to hundreds of local families, public schools, universities, disaster victims, and community service partners:

•155,916 baby diapers,
•75,120 menstrual products, and
•32,094 incontinence supplies.

We have had a 400% increase in clients served since the diaper bank opened.

Goals:
• Partnering with more community-based organizations to identify & serve more clients in our region of service,
• Hosting in-person and virtual diaper & period supply drives throughout the year at local businesses, schools, clubs, and places of worship,
• Recruiting more volunteers to host diaper drives and deliver supplies to clients without transportation, and
• Creating sustainable funding partnerships with people in the business & faith communities, charitable foundations, and individual donors.