McHenry County’s Diaper Bank Holding First Benefit Auction Saturday

The center piece at the Kiwanis Club meeting when Phyllis Mueller talked about the St. Paul Diaper Bank.

The center piece at the Kiwanis Club meeting when Phyllis Mueller talked about the St. Paul Diaper Bank.

I had read about the Diaper Bank, probably in the Northwest Herald.

But I didn’t make personal contact until the 2012 Marengo Business Expo.

It was started by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in McHenry and is poised to start operating on its own.

Details were shared by Phyllis Mueller at a recent Crystal Lake Kiwanis Club meeting.

Mueller founded and ran the Home of the Sparrow until she returned to ministry to pastor the First Presbyterian Church of Marengo.

The invitation to Saturday night's event.

The invitation to Saturday night’s event.

Why did she leave Home of the Sparrow?

“I just got tired of raising money,” she told Kiwanis members.

She retired from being a minister, but was approached by the Diaper Bank people.

Now, she is enthusiastic to be “back in the network…actually excited about it.”

The need, she explained is both for infants and older folks.

As she began to understand the incontinence problems seniors have, “that bothered me a lot.”

There are also disabled children and adults in need.

And, there’s nothing that provides diapers.  For example, Medicare does nothing “three weeks after people leave the hospital.”

The St. Paul Diaper Bank provided diapers as of 7-11 to

Phyllis Mueller

Phyllis Mueller

  • 1st Way Pregnancy Support Service
  • Blessing Barn
  • Crystal Lake Food Pantry
  • Faith in Action
  • Families Empowered to Change
  • Fish of McHenry Food Pantry
  • Grafton Food Pantry
  • Hope’s Friends
  • Neighbors Food Pantry of Wonder Lake
  • Safe Families – Willow Creek Crystal Lake
  • Salvation Arm
  • Senior Service Associates in McHenry and Crystal Lake
  • The Vine
  • Tri-County Pregnancy & Parenting Services
  • Turning Point

Now, Mueller is its Executive Director and is making pitches for assistance, both diaper donations and money and organizing the Bank’s first “Benefit Auction” Saturday night at d’Andrea Banquets at the intersection of Routes 14 and 31 in Crystal Lake.

Diaper Bank front of cardThe price is $75 per person and runs from 7-11.  Casual dress.

Why a fund raiser?

When diaper banks started, Pampers donated supplies.

The one in McHenry was the sixth diaper bank in the country, started in 2008.

Now diaper banks are just customers of those who produce diapers.

Diaper Bank back of cardBy joining the National Diaper Bank Network, local banks can get the advantage of bulk buying.

There are two levels of membership, $5,000 and $20,000.

For $5,000 a diaper bank gets 250,000 diapers.

For $20,000, it receives one million.

That amount has to be paid every year.

That’s a hunk of change.

There are also costs to forming a new 501(C)(3) not-for-profit organization.


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McHenry County’s Diaper Bank Holding First Benefit Auction Saturday — 2 Comments

  1. Good post, great to see you’re supporting local charities Cal!

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