Gentle Love Diaper Pantry is a youth-run nonprofit organization based in Manchester, CT that connects families who face economic barriers with diapers and other baby essentials. The organization was started by Kyle Zingler, a junior at Manchester High School, with the support of some of his classmates including Alexandra Hamza, Jabari Murphy, along with his sister Julia Zingler and her close friend, Sylvia Squatrito. One day in early April, Kyle’s mother, who works as the Director of Family, School, and Community Partnerships for Vernon Public Schools, described her struggles of connecting a mother involved in a domestic violence incident with diapers. Kyle was motivated to solve this injustice after learning that there were no diaper or baby supply pantries accessible to families in his community. After further research he also found that diapers were not covered under SNAP or WIC programs and that they amounted to a substantial expense for families, costing $70-$80 per a child per month. Since their launch in June, they have collected over 45,000 diapers, 37,000 wipes, and hundreds of other baby products through community drives which have been distributed through the MACC Food Pantry, the MPS Welcome Center, and the ECHN Family Development Center.

ASM’s Laura McHuge and Mona Mercure present Kyle Zingler with a donation for Gentle Love Diaper Pantry