Written by: Andrea Carneiro • January 9, 2020• The Philanthropist

Special Delivery – Gabriela Rojas

Background

Since arriving in the US at the age of 10, Rojas has put herself front and center when it comes to community service. As a teenager, Rojas volunteered her time with Autism Speaks and organized fundraisers for low-income families in Broward County. “From small scale volunteering events to now running a nonprofit, I’ve always been a big believer in giving back and helping people in need.” Today, she puts that passion to use, overseeing all aspects of the Miami Diaper Bank, managing more than 30 community partners. “From tabling at community events to distributing diaper donations to writing thank you cards to donors, I focus on the day to day operations and making sure everything and everyone is working towards our goal of helping families,” she says.

What’s amazing about Miami Diaper Bank is that everyone involved with the organization really embodies the mission, and helping as many families and children as possible is our main priority.

About Miami Diaper Bank

Founded in 2013, the nonprofit was originally created by Jonah Schacter as a service project. When Jonah, his father Roberto and sister Arielle saw the need for diapers and baby items, and lack of an organized diaper bank in Miami they set out to create one on their own. Now, the organization works with partners across the community to make sure that disadvantaged children get the diapers they need to stay dry, clean and healthy. “Working with a network of partner agencies allows us to broaden our impact and ensure we are reaching the most vulnerable children and families in our community,” says Rojas. “Through these partnerships, we have been able to serve over 30,000 children and distribute over 2.3 million diapers since our organization was founded.”

Delivering Help

Rojas herself is no stranger to the baby struggle. As a college student, she juggled school with a baby and full-time job and was shocked to find the lack of resources for help with diapers. Though she had a support system to call on, Rojas began to look for ways to help the community, leading her straight to the Miami Diaper Bank. In addition to deliveries in the community, the organization works with disaster relief to ensure all families are taken care of in an emergency situation. “We donated over 1 million diapers to families affected by Hurricane Irma and also have stepped in to help our neighbors in need when Hurricane Michael, Maria and recently Dorian devastated their communities,” she says.

Small But Mighty

For all their work, the team at Miami Diaper Bank consists of just three people, making volunteers a necessity. “From event planning, to designing flyers, to organizing fundraising events, to diaper deliveries etc., we really work hard to do as much as possible in-house so we can serve as many families and children as possible with our resources,” says Rojas. That means community involvement makes a major difference. Rojas says those interested can help with anything from diaper drives to online donations. “There are tons of options and we are happy to connect with readers to figure out what is the best way for them to get involved with our organization,” says says. “It really takes a village.”

m iamidiaperbank.com

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