DRAPER, Utah — Thousands of diapers stacked into castles, haunted houses, and other builds took over the IKEA parking lot in Draper on Friday — all part of Utah's largest diaper drive, but the annual HomeAid Utah event also came with a big announcement: The Utah Food Bank is officially taking over the Utah Diaper Bank.
Victor Velivis founded the Utah Diaper Bank over a decade ago. He started by shipping 20,000 diapers a year from his home, but that number has grown to the Utah Diaper Bank shipping more than 175,000 diapers a month for families in need.
"I'm just amazed to see all of this starting so many years ago with just trying to start to buy some diapers just so people can go to work, so people could make their appointments, so babies had a clean diaper, and it just has grown and grown," Velivis said.
Over the years, the non-profit has distributed more than 10 million diapers, thanks to the help of community support and volunteers. However, as the mission grew, the question arose of how to sustain it. "As I've gotten a little older and the diapers gotten bigger, I want the diaper bank to continue. I worried about it being sustained and continued into the future; it's a valuable service," Velivis said.
This is why the Utah Food Bank is now acquiring the non-profit to create a new UFB Diaper Program. The organization will now handle donations and distribution of diapers across the state, along with its other services.
"The diaper program can grow, the outreach will increase, more families in Utah will be able to have a decision that's free of choosing diapers versus something else in their budget," said Utah Food Bank President and CEO, Ginette Bott. "We'll see great improvements in family life across our state."
For Velivis, stepping back is bittersweet. "I know I'm going to miss it, but I'll find something later to do; there's plenty to do in Utah to keep me busy."
The Utah Food Bank says they're already accepting diaper donations, but the full transition of the Utah Diaper Bank will be complete by October 1st.
