SupplyBank.org and Too Small to Fail Launch “Diaper Time Is Talk Time” Brand to Support California Families
Early childhood initiative of the Clinton Foundation and SupplyBank.org partner on exclusive diapers and wipes brand to tackle diaper need and promote early learning
Oakland, CA (February 23, 2026) — At a time when rising costs are placing unprecedented strain on families with young children, SupplyBank.org marked its 10th anniversary as a diaper bank by launching a new partnership with Too Small to Fail, the early childhood initiative of the Clinton Foundation. At a ribbon- and balloon-filled City Hall Rotunda, the organizations introduced an exclusive new line of diapers and wipes designed to address diaper need while supporting early brain and language development.
The announcement featured California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, Alameda County Supervisor and First 5 Commissioner Nikki Fortunato Bas, SupplyBank.org Founder and Executive Director Benito Delgado-Olson, and leaders from partnering public and nonprofit agencies.
“We know that when families have what they need, children can thrive,” said Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation. “Yet nearly half of families with young children struggle to afford diapers each month. That reality demands action. Too Small to Fail is honored to partner with SupplyBank.org to deliver newly designed diapers and wipes that not only meet basic needs, but also encourage parents and caregivers to turn everyday moments into opportunities to talk, read, sing, and count.”
The launch comes at a critical moment, as diaper need continues to worsen. Diapers now cost families more than $100 per month per child, making them one of the largest unmet expenses for low-income working households.
“My three children have been out of diapers for some time, but no parent forgets what it’s like to be in that stage of life — the exhaustion, the worry, the seemingly endless need for more diapers,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “As families across California struggle to afford the rising costs of just about everything, we need to do more as a society to support them. While the Federal Administration has abdicated that responsibility, I’m grateful that organizations like SupplyBank.org and the Clinton Foundation are willing to step up and fill the gap. As California Attorney General, I am proud to support an initiative that will make an already challenging time of life just a bit more manageable for families across the state.”
According to the California Health Care Access and Information Department, diaper need has historically contributed to nearly 40,000 hospital visits each year, largely among families enrolled in Medi-Cal. About 80 percent of those visits are to emergency rooms for preventable conditions such as severe diaper rash and urinary tract infections. As part of her congressional agenda to end poverty, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, now the Mayor of Oakland, worked with SupplyBank.org, First 5, and the late Bernard J. Tyson, former Chairman and CEO of California-based Kaiser Permanente, to establish its diaper bank in 2016.
“Diapers are unreasonably expensive, yet essential for the daily lives and health of the baby and the parents,” said Mayor Lee. “The program we launched here in Oakland ten years ago proved there was a cost-effective and scalable method to address this problem and provide diapers to families for pennies on the dollar. The partnership with Too Small to Fail is the next phase of that work to ensure we’re taking advantage of the opportunity to provide parents with resources to talk, read, sing, and count with their babies during diaper time.”
Diaper distribution will be integrated through nonprofit organizations and public agencies at trusted community-based sites, including family resource centers, libraries, WIC centers, school districts, health clinics, and hospitals. This framework is also central to the federal Diaper Distribution Demonstration and Research Pilot program, which the Mayor coauthored while in Congress.
“Our partners across California are thrilled,” said Benito Delgado-Olson, Executive Director of SupplyBank.org. “We always want families to receive resources that are better than what is in the retail market. That value makes this the perfect brand for this program. While the ability to directly manufacture, reduce costs, and provide high-quality supplies to community-based organizations remains a core strength, this partnership does more than that. It adds the value of boosting brain development through carefully crafted messaging and also provides families with a beautiful product that rivals anything else on the market. We’re also thrilled!”
The Talking Is Teaching diaper brand, which SupplyBank.org began distributing throughout California late last year, includes caregiver prompts printed directly on diapers, wipes, and packaging to spark caregiver-child interaction. The products are bilingual in English and Spanish, informed by early childhood research, and regularly tested by third parties for quality, safety, and performance. This initiative is part of SupplyBank.org’s broader efforts to address the unmet material needs of children and families across California through practical, locally driven solutions.
“As policymakers work toward long-term solutions, it is critical that we continue to build and scale models that work,” said Delgado-Olson. “This partnership shows that it is possible to address immediate needs while investing in children’s futures.”
The new partnership will make the custom diapers and wipes more widely accessible to nonprofit organizations and public agencies across California in 2026.
# # #
About SupplyBank.org: SupplyBank.org is an Oakland-based nonprofit public benefit corporation working with 700+ agencies, organizations, and public offices in California to build the nation’s first regional supply bank. Through partnerships with global supply chains and community organizations, SupplyBank.org provides a highly cost-effective and scalable mechanism for bulk purchasing and efficiently distributing necessary health, education, and emergency supplies to children, families, and communities that need them throughout California. Through cost savings related to both purchase price and distribution efficiencies, this approach allows SupplyBank.org to employ a business strategy often utilized by for-profit companies for the benefit of nonprofit organizations and working individuals and families, costing the agency pennies on the dollar. For more information, visit www.supplybank.org.
About Too Small to Fail: Too Small to Fail, the early childhood initiative of the Clinton Foundation, promotes early brain and language development by supporting parents and caregivers with tools to talk, read, and sing with their young children from birth. Today, almost 60 percent of children in the United States start kindergarten unprepared, lagging their peers in critical language and reading skills. Through partnerships with pediatricians, hospitals, faith-based leaders, community-based organizations, businesses, entertainment industry leaders, and others, Too Small to Fail is meeting parents where they are to help them prepare their children for success in school and beyond. Whether at the pediatrician’s office or the playground, Too Small to Fail aims to make small moments big by creating opportunities for meaningful interactions anytime, anywhere. Learn more at www.toosmall.org.
