PEORIA MAGAZINE May 2023

S P O T L I G H T

DISTRIBUTING DIAPERS, AND DIGNITY TOO Galesburg’s Loving Bottoms has been stepping up for families in need, and wants to do more

BY MONICA VEST WHEELER

A desperate need for diapers for her own infant years ago gave Lee Ann Porter a unique insight into families struggling to acquire this baby basic. Alone in Kentucky and far away from her Illinois roots, Porter never forgot the embarrassment of having to repeat her story to get public aid when her husband left, and the toll it took on her dignity. Since the local pantry had no diapers, she used clothes and towels to wrap her 6-month-old son, and felt like a failure as a mother. She pawned her wedding ring to buy diapers and household needs. Frustration morphed into fierce determination after Porter returned to Illinois and met a new life partner, with whom she started a new family. Years later, upon reading an online article about families in need of diapers, Porter gave birth to her new baby: Loving Bottoms Diaper Bank, based in Galesburg. “I realized it wasn’t just a ‘me’ thing. Others had this need, too,” said Porter, now 49, who discovered that one in three families had trouble affording diapers. So, she decided to start her own diaper collection campaign to help local families.

full-service, one-stop program because she remembered how exhausting and humiliating it was to go from place to place for basics, which wasted precious time for families working or trying to find jobs.

LOVING BOTTOMS PROVIDES 50,000 DIAPERS A MONTH TO 1,000 BABIES

“I was constantly trying to arrange things. I’d get an $80 child support check and was afraid I’d run out of gas before I could reach my destination,” Porter said. She considered herself lucky to have a vehicle, as “a lot of people didn’t have that much.” Fast forward to the debut of the diaper bank. About 60 people initially responded when she announced the availability of diapers. Only six showed up. “I was so disappointed and thought I needed to close. I guess I wasn’t a good salesperson,” Porter said. It would take six months to bring on the first partner, the Salvation Army in Galesburg. People started showing up for diapers there. They also found food resources.

Loving Bottoms Director Lee Ann Porter

“If you’ve got Google and a lot of desire, you can do almost anything,” she said. She did her due diligence and dreamed of creating a nonprofit, though was initially intimidated by the paperwork. Persistence and frugality led to applying for the easy version of a 501(c)3 because “I wasn’t sure it would last. I’m not a long attention person,” she said, laughing. After soliciting donations and seeking partners, Porter built an operation based on a food bank model. She wanted a

86 MAY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE