ELLEN POMPEO TEAMS UP WITH HUGGIES® BRAND TO KICK-OFF NATIONAL DIAPER DRIVE
FOR 'EVERY LITTLE BOTTOM'

Partnerships with community organizations such as Girl Guides of Canada, donation of up to 2 million diapers help address diaper need

TORONTO, Oct 6 /CNW/ - In an ongoing effort to help the 1 in 5 Canadian mothers who struggle to provide diapers for their babiesⁱ, Kimberly-Clark's Huggies Brand today announced it will launch a first-of-its-kind national diaper drive as part of its program, Every Little Bottom. The diaper drive will include a series of local drives, events, a donation from the brand and other activities to generate up to 2 million diapers for babies in need.

"As a new mom, I was shocked when I learned how prevalent diaper need is in Canada," says actress and mother of one, Ellen Pompeo. "It is heartbreaking to imagine the ongoing struggle these moms face to provide enough diapers to change their babies, and the toll that it takes on babies in our own communities. I am proud to be an Every Little Bottom ambassador to help spread the word, and encourage communities to help us collect and donate diapers to babies in need."

National Diaper Drive Helps Diaper Babies in Local Communities

From its inception, the Every Little Bottom Program has worked collaboratively with partners, including Food Banks Canada, and most recently with Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada (GGC), to help bring attention to the issue of diaper need and to help develop a sustainable solution. This includes ongoing efforts to build awareness of diaper need, additional diaper donations from Huggies and its partners, and now activating valuable national and local partnerships to mobilize local communities to get involved.

• Diaper Your Baby, and a Baby in Need: This fall, each specially-marked pack of Huggies diapers or wipes purchased will help diaper a baby in need. Through December 31, 2010, Huggies will donate up to 2 million diapers as a result of this effort, Donate Online: Huggies will continue to work with Food Banks Canada to distribute donated diapers to babies across the country through its network of 450 food banks. Visit EveryLittleBottom.com to learn about making a donation directly to Food Banks Canada and continue to help get diapers to babies in need.
• Participate in Community Events: Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada (GGC), the leadership organization for girls and women in Canada with 90,000 national members, has partnered with Huggies Every Little Bottom to help raise awareness of diaper need in Canada. Through a country-wide initiative to promote community activism called the National Service Project: Eradicate Hunger and Poverty, GGC is asking its members to support the Every Little Bottom by promoting diaper collections and diaper drives for local food banks. Visit EveryLittleBottom.com to find out about local events and how you can get involved.
• Host a diaper drive or other activity: Individual clubs or schools interested in hosting diaper drives or adults interested in hosting baby showers or office drives to benefit diaper need can find resources at EveryLittleBottom.com to help get them started. From easy "how to" steps to flyer and invitation templates, these tools will help groups and individuals get started and offer directions on how to share results.

"This expansion of the Huggies Every Little Bottom and its efforts will allow us to help even more babies across the country," said Stu Schneider, senior director of the Huggies Brand.  "And, the ability for us to truly localize this effort through the help of our dedicated partners and retailers to help babies right in their own backyards is critical to making an impact."

"Diapers are a necessity for families with babies and young children. Yet every day, we see the strain that a lack of many essential items such as diapers places on already-stressed families," said Katharine Schmidt, Executive Director, Food Banks Canada. "We are proud to be part of Huggies Every Little Bottom. Because of it, many moms will be assisted in having access to this much-needed product for their babies." 

"Guiding has always been about empowering girls to speak out, take action and make a difference," says Chris Burton, Chief Commissioner, Girl Guides of Canada. "As active participants in supporting Huggies Every Little Bottom, Girl Guide Members will have the chance to make a difference in the lives of countless families and play a vital role in communities across Canada."

The Implications of Diaper Need on Babies

According to the Huggies Every Little Bottom Study, nearly one-fifth of moms struggling with diaper need run out of clean diapers monthly or more often. Babies may be kept in wet, dirty diapers for extended periods of time or, in more extreme cases, made to wear used diapers which have been cleaned or dried out. This may lead to babies suffering not just physically but emotionally. Babies in diaper need are more likely to show signs of irritation and discomfort, cry or suffer more from diaper rash when they cannot be changed than babies who are not living in diaper need.

To learn more, visit EveryLittleBottom.com, or receive updates by following us on Twitter or becoming a fan on Facebook.

About Huggies® Every Little Bottom

Huggies® Every Little Bottom has a single mission - to help get diapers to babies in need in the U.S. and Canada. The program was developed in response to a groundbreaking new study commissioned by Kimberly-Clark that revealed the critical issue of diaper need. Diaper need is the struggle to provide babies with diapers. Today, 1 in 3 American and 1 in 5 Canadian mothers struggle with diaper need, and have had to cut back on basics - food, utilities such as heat or electricity, or even childcare - in order to provide enough diapers for their babies. With the support of partner organizations, grassroots efforts and moms across the country, the program will build awareness of the issue and work to create a long-term solution.

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people -- nearly a quarter of the world's population -- trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 138-year history of innovation, visit www.Kimberly-Clark.com.

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¹ These mothers have had to cut back on basics such as food, utilities like heat or electricity, or even child care in order to provide enough diapers. The Huggies® Every Little Bottom thought-leadership study was conducted by Abt SRBI in collaboration with Dr. Cybele Raver, the director of New York University's Institute of Human Development and Social Change, and Dr. Nicole Letourneau, Canada Research Chair in Healthy Child Development and Professor at the University of New Brunswick.  The telephone survey averaged 20 minutes in duration and was fielded in English and Spanish in the United States, and English and French in Canada.  The study was fielded in February 2010 among a nationally representative sample of mothers with babies 0-4 years old who currently use diapers in the United States and Canada. In total, 1,513 mothers in the United States and 1,008 mothers in Canada were surveyed.  The study includes a representative sample of American mothers living in poverty and Canadian mothers living below the low income limit (based on governmental guidelines). At the 95% confidence level, the study has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points in either direction for the United States (1,513 sample), and 3.1 percentage points in either direction for Canada (1,008 sample).  The margin of error increases for smaller subgroups evaluated. Opinion polls in general can be subject to other errors based on practical difficulties in conducting surveys.

For further information:

Naz Araghian, GCI Canada               Quinton Crenshaw, Kimberly-Clark
416-486-7225                                   972-281-1386
[email protected]          [email protected]