California Assembly Bill 798, which expands the State Emergency Food Bank Reserve Program to include diapers and wipes, and additionally distributes funds to food banks to purchase these supplies during state declared emergencies, went into effect on Jan. 1. Prior to the bill’s enactment, SEFBR provided food and related funding under the case of a state or county declared emergency for low income families, which will now also include diapers and baby wipes.
Introduced by Democrat Assembly member Lisa Calderon on Feb. 18, 2025, AB 798 received unanimous bipartisan support and was passed with a vote of 78-0. Under existing law, a recipient of the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids program is eligible for $30 in monthly benefits to assist with diaper needs for every child under the age of 26 months.
Supporters of AB 798 argue that diapers and wipes, though essential to maintaining hygiene for babies, could rack up costs quickly for families. Assemblymember Calderon addresses the issue of diaper insecurity, citing that diapers are the “fourth greatest cost burden for many families.”
“Children need diapers from the day they are born, and infants experience negative health outcomes without them,” Calderon said in an email. “Unmet diaper needs are not only a public health issue, but also a barrier to economic mobility for families. Diapers cost approximately $100 per month per child and this cost can be exacerbated during times of crisis.”
According to MVHS English teacher Melissa Clark, a mother of a two-year-old, these costs present an emotional strain on top of a financial one for families in need. For mothers especially, Clark says these concerns place significant stress on their lives, which increased support from the government and surrounding communities can help mitigate.
“Having access to wipes, to diapers, to food — just to take that burden off their head — is really powerful,” said Clark. “All you think when babies are really young is, when are they sleeping, when are they eating, when do I have to change their diaper? Not having access to those things is really scary, especially when you just want to make sure you’re giving the best for your child.”
Clark says these worries tend to escalate during emergencies, leading to a struggle for resources. Meghan Crowell, a board member at the non-profit diaper distribution organization Help-a-Mother-Out, which aims to reduce diaper need, states that while the need for diapers is already high, demand may spike during times of emergencies.
“If you have a wildfire in an area, you generally see people have lost so much, and so they’re just trying to gather the essentials that they’re going to need in order to get through that period of time, to get to some stability,” Crowell said. “You might see an uptick just in response to a disaster, but diaper need is always growing and isn’t going anywhere.”
Erica Padilla-Chavez, CEO at Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz believes this bill will be helpful, recalling an emergency situation in Pajaro County, which borders the city of Santa Cruz, where community members were evacuated due to intense flooding. She says that 40% of community members affected were children, many of which were under the age of 5, resulting in Second Harvest becoming the primary emergency food responder and providing supplies for the evacuees.
“What we learned from that emergency, and this was before the bill happened, is that people were asking us for diapers,” Padilla-Chavez said. “For the little infants, parents didn’t know where to get the diapers or the wipes, and we actually ended up fundraising to buy them for that particular emergency, because we saw the need firsthand. The fact that this bill is now law and it’s going to be made available for an emergency is going to be so helpful for individuals who are dealing with the impacts of a disaster and who may not have access to diapers.”
Crowell explains that Help-a-Mother-Out partners with other nonprofits to provide families with diapers during emergencies as well. They also work alongside the San Francisco City diaper bank and other government agencies, allowing these corporations to distribute them to their clients and connect with families. According to Crowell, they obtain their diapers through private diaper manufacturers, but also receive support from the community through diaper drives.
According to Padilla-Chavez, Second Harvest works similarly, acting as a bridge for underserved communities. She explains that Second Harvest stores and manages the inventory of diapers and organizes 27 different organizations who have a contract with the nonprofit to distribute and deliver the diapers. According to Padilla-Chavez, Second Harvest distributed over a million diapers in Santa Cruz County in 2025, where 37% of households earn under $77,000 annually. Both Crowell and Clark highlight how families are dependent on these bridges, especially considering the constant supply of resources necessary for family care.
“I think that it’s important for people to always remember that there’s nothing wrong with helping out with the basic materials that everyone needs,” Clark said. “It’s important to support young families, especially young mothers. Being able to do something to help young families with the burden of caring for children and giving them the support that they need is really important, especially to create a nice, solid foundation for these families, and hopefully, with help, they’re able to move on, recover, so they’re able to pass on the help to other families that may need it down the road.”
