Few distractions deter Marybeth Levine from her goal of making sure anyone who needs a diaper has one.

The Canton woman has been inspiring others to help in creative ways. In November, for example, Canton Public Library director Eva Davis volunteered to camp out for two days and one night in a donated truck for a "Stuff the Truck" diaper collection Nov. 17-18. The reward? More than 26,000 diapers.

Levine's enthusiasm has carried her from the beginning of the nonprofit Detroit Area Diaper Bank's second annual collection campaign, which started in August, through a series of collection efforts.

"The fall drive was huge," said Levine, the diaper bank's executive director. "We flew by our goal of 100,000, which sets the bar very high for next year."

The total haul for 2010 was 156,348 diapers.

Levine's bank funnels diapers into a distribution system throughout southeast Michigan via nearly 40 partners, all nonprofit organizations and agencies. Inkster-based Starfish Family Services, the first organization to work with the Levine, had struggled to provide diapers for its early childhood program prior to Levine's help.

Starfish was one of the few donation programs that could be relied upon before the Detroit Area Diaper Bank was created, said Kristen Chateau, Starfish's Early Learning Services supervisor. "But they just weren't meeting the demand," she said. "By bringing us her diaper bank, Marybeth has helped tremendously."

Diapers are given to families who cannot afford them, many of whom have discovered that government assistance, whether food stamps or WIC (a federal nutrition program for women, infants and children), can't be used for to buy personal hygiene products.

"I call it the big hole in the safety net," she said of government aid programs, which are not only often difficult to qualify for but don't cover the cost of diapers. "There is just no assistance for families in this situation. There is nothing to cover that basic hygiene need. It's a critical part of someone's life."

Because daycare facilities require families to provide their own hygiene supplies, parents with limited or no access to diapers are often unable to leave home. This puts even more stress on them financially because they cannot go to work, or attend school or training needed to get better jobs. In extreme situations, parents try to stretch diaper supplies – which can lead to serious health issues – employing unsanitary methods, such as using garbage bags, or even resorting to theft.

Carol Eddy is director of the Westland-based Wayne County Family Center, which takes in and cares for low- to no-income families with minor children, allowing them to stay for up to two years.

"The problem with the people who are employed is that they tend to be working in minimum-wage jobs, so they can't get ahead very quickly," Eddy said.

Children aren't the only ones who suffer. Many adults need incontinence products, and those who rely on government assistance have also found that it doesn't cover such items. For many, that hampers their ability to venture into public.

Levine said housebound adults need more help from such resources as Meals on Wheels and Medicare.

The outpouring of support Levine has received from the community gives her hope. Last year, she surpassed her inaugural fall drive goal of 30,000 diapers, raking in a total of 54,000 diapers. She is steadily gaining more recognition for her efforts heading into the diaper bank's third year.

Levine recently received a $5,000 "Local Hero Award" from Bank of America; last year she received two $5,000 grants, one from the Pepsi Refresh Project, the other from the Art Van Furniture Million Dollar Charity Challenge. (The Art Van charity supports a variety of Michigan's human-services organizations with annual grant awards ranging from $5,000-$50,000.)

"I knew that if we ripped the lid off the need, the response would be overwhelming," she said of the grants, all of which are used to purchase diapers. "The goal is for the community to take ownership, for them to feel that this is their diaper bank."

Levine moved with her family to Canton from Tucson, AZ in 2002. Levine and her husband, Steve, both 42, have three boys: John, 8; David, 6; and Nathan, 4.

It was in Arizona that Levine participated in the nation's first diaper drive.

"I had that light-bulb moment," she said of the day she heard about the event on her car radio. "People can't get diapers? I'm a college-educated women. I've worked on Capitol Hill and it just did not occur to me." Levine was so affected by the drive that she developed an itch to start her own diaper bank. It took some time and planning, but she never gave up. In 2009, the idea became a reality. Harnessing the marketing power of social networks on Facebook and Twitter, her organization gained its initial foothold. From there it spread by word of mouth, gaining media coverage along the way.

Until the next Detroit Area Diaper Bank event – in April, sponsored by the Canton Area Moms 4 Community Baby Shower – Levine will busy herself dividing up and distributing the existing diaper cache.

The diapers are kept at a Canton storage facility, which was rented using a $500 donation from Canton residents Dan and Anna Oginsky. Prior to the Oginskys' gift, Levine stored all the diapers in her basement and garage. She now not only has more space, but can set up a routine schedule for her partners to pick up their allotment of diapers.

"If we stay on the path we're on, if we continue to do things organically, it will all come together," she said.

How to help

If you are interested in hosting a diaper drive, visit www.detroitareadiaperbank.org/diaperdrives for more information.

Diaper donations can be made at several local drop-off locations; for information go to: www.detroitareadiaperbank.org/Donate-Diapers  

Secure online donations can be made at: www.detroitareadiaperbank.org/donations

Checks and money orders can be made payable to:

The Detroit Area Diaper Bank Inc.

45361 Indian Creek Drive

Canton, MI 48187

*All donations are 100 percent tax-deductable. Receipts can be downloaded at www.detroitareadiaperbank.org/donations (Click on the "Download a tax donation receipt" tab on the upper right side of the page.)