As a carer for my elderly mom, I know that the cost of adult diapers and pads really does add up, and for many it is just too much, but they still have to find them somehow. If you have unopened adult diapers that you wish to donate, your gift will really help someone on a low income, and there are plenty of places you can donate them to.
Where to donate adult diapers ? You can donate adult diapers to diaper banks, food banks, Centers for Independent Linving, community loan closets (state and local), Bikur Cholim, non-profit charities, senior centers, veterans centers, local churches, homeless shelters, thrift stores, hospice organizations, nursing homes, . You can also donate directly to private individuals on classified listing websites and social media platforms with marketplaces.
Contents Overview & Quicklinks
Donating adult diapers and to diaper banks
Donating adult diapers to food banks
Donating adult diapers to Centers for Independent Living
Donating adult diapers to Medical Equipment Loan Closets
Online listing sites where you can donate adult diapers near you
Donating adult diapers in your neighborhood
Organizations near you which may know where to donate adult diapers
Donating adult diapers to Diaper Banks
Diaper banks can be found all over the US, but mostly they are for children, and not for adults, so you will have to check before you try to donate to one.
The Simon Foundation for Continence has a list of diaper banks for adults, although a number of these seem to be out of date, you can see what is available in your area by visiting this page on their website – here.
The National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) is a network of over 225 diaper banks, although only 25 or so are adults. There is a list of the diaper banks by state, but the bulk of these are for babies. You will have to check each of the websites in your state to see if they take adult diapers.
You can find their list of diaper banks, and check for yourself here.
Donating adult Diapers to food banks
If you have taken a look at the lists of diaper banks, you will see that many of them are food banks which have a section which gives out hygiene products.
You can find the local food banks in your area to see if any of them have a hygiene section and would like your donation of adult diapers.
If you go online to Foodfinder, you will be able to locate all the food banks or food pantries in your area. You can then just contact the food bank to ask if they would like your donation, if they have a section for hygiene products in their pantry.
Donating adult diapers to a Center for Independent Living
These centers help disabled individuals in the community, and I always think that this is a great place to check to see if they would want and accept a donation of any type which can be of help to their members.
Centers for Independent Living provide –
“independent living services for people with disabilities. CILs are at the core of ACL’s independent living programs, which work to support community living and independence for people with disabilities across the nation based on the belief that all people can live with dignity, make their own choices, and participate fully in society. These programs provide tools, resources, and supports for integrating people with disabilities fully into their communities to promote equal opportunities, self-determination, and respect.”
Source : https://acl.gov/programs/aging-and-disability-networks/centers-independent-living
Centers for Independent Living often run loan closets of all types of assistive equipment for the benefit of their disabled members, as well some medical and hygiene supplies, and may happily receive a donation of adult diapers.
To find your nearest Center for Independent Living, check this website.
Donating adult diapers to Medical Equipment Loan Closets
What is a medical equipment loan closet ?
Typically, it is a community program where durable medical equipment is lent out into the local, or wider community – it may service a small neighborhood, a whole town, a county, or part of a state.
Many loan closets will also give out some medical supplies such as adult diapers.
I would check with any local medical equipment loan closets to see if they also give out medical supplies, as they will probably be very glad to take your adult diapers for some of the seniors who use their services.
How to find medical equipment loan closet near you ?
I suggest starting with a few specific online searches and some phone call inquiries –
- I first search online, for “medical equipment loan closet + your location”, “medical equipment lending closet + your location”, “medical equipment lending bank + your location”, or “medical equipment bank + your location”
- if nothing comes up, contact your county Area Agency on Aging (more about them further down), and ask about community medical equipment loan closets – to locate the agency rin your county, just go to the agency locator tool here
- if you still haven’t found a loan closet, contact your local council human resources or seniors department, and see if they are involved in running any community medical equipment loan closets
- check with any local reuse or medical equipment refurbishing centers, as they may run any loan closets – you can do a search on the internet
- Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs and American Legion Posts – I have found many community medical equipment loan closets run by these charitable organizations, so I would suggest that you check with a club or post near you
To locate a Lions Club in your area, check out my article here – How To Find A Lions Club Near Me ? A Very Quick Illustrated Guide
To locate a Rotary Club in your area, check out my article here – How To Find A Rotary Club Near Me ? A Very Quick Illustrated Guide
Bikur Cholim or Medical Equipment Gemacht – these are Jewish community medical equipment loan closets run for members of the Jewish community, and like other loan closets may also stock supplies of adult diapers.
To find one, I would talk to your local synagogue, or just take a look on the Chesed Match website.
Online listing sites where you can donate adult diapers to those near you
This method allows me to donate to a person in my neighborhood, face to face, and it means I am not going to do lots of research to get things done.
There are a few precautions to be taken if you go this route –
1) Don’t have strangers coming into your home for the diaper pick up if you are caring for an elderly person there. You need to respect their privacy and safety.
2) Organize to hand the diapers elsewhere, in a public place like a café, for example, and if you feel vulnerable, I would take a friend, so you aren’t alone.
3) For those of you donating your item on a classified listing, such as Craigslist, I would always use a throwaway email address, to avoid a deluge of spam in your private email.
If you have never donated an item on Craigslist, UsedHME.com, Facebook, Freecycle, Nextdoor, just check out my short illustrated guides on donating on each of those platforms –
Craigslist.com – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me On Craigslist ? An Illustrated Guide”
UsedHME.com – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me On UsedHME ? An illustrated Guide”
Facebook.com – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me On Facebook ? An Illustrated Guide”
Freecycle.org – “How To Donate Used Medical Equipment Near Me on Freecycle.org ? A Very Quick Illustrated Guide”
Nextdoor.com – “How To Get Free Medical Equipment Near Me On Nextdoor.com ? A Quick Illustrated Guide”
OfferUp.com – I haven’t written an article on this, as there is already a very good video showing how to use OfferUp, see below.
Donating adult diapers in your neighborhood
There are many places where you can check in person without using the internet, I would go and talk to people at some of the following places in your neighborhood. I don’t think there is any need to elaborate on what any of these are, you just need to find them and ask if they would like to take your donation. All the following can be found on the internet or in the phone book –
- Local Hospitals
- Emergency rooms
- Thrift stores
- Senior Centers or Elderly Day Care Centers
- Veterans Centers
- Local retirement homes
- Nursing homes
- Churches
- Homeless shelters
- Hospice organizations
Organizations near you who may know where you can donate adult diapers
You can always ask these organizations for some advice if nothing is working so far –
Area Agencies On Aging
Your Area Agency on Aging is a non-profit agency, which has been appointed by your state to provide services in your county, to assist the over 60s to gain access to the services that are available to them in their community.
I would always start here, as they will know of medical equipment loan closets and other programs for seniors who may well appreciate your donation of adult diapers.
To find your agency – click here.
Social Services
Talk with your local Social Services department, as they should know of the different organizations running programs which may need adult diapers –
- homeless shelters
- refugee centers
- victims of abuse
- low income families
- low income seniors
Faith-based Charities
The Catholic Charities and Society of St Vincent de Paul
Both charities run programs all across the US, offering multiple services/programs to –
- low income families
- the homeless
- refugees
- victims of abuse
If you contact either of the organizations, they will most likely be keen to accept your adult diapers to help people on any one of their programs.
To find a chapter of either charity, and its programs in your area, do this search “name of the charity + where you live”, in your web browser, and you will get the website with all their contact information, plus a list of the programs they are running.
These are certainly not the only charities running programs to help those in need, but they are two of the more established ones, and they are right across the US.
Summary
You have many options for donating your adult diapers.
Your main options are –
- diaper banks and food banks
- loan closets
- charitable programs
- donating in person online
- programs for seniors and veterans
- retirement and nursing homes
I’m Gareth, the author and owner of Looking After Mom and Dad.com
I have been a caregiver for over 10 yrs and share all my tips here.
