Tim Welsh, founder and CEO of Bottoms Up Diaper Bank, told the Hocking County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 6 that his organization has distributed roughly 70,000 diapers in Hocking County since February and expects to reach nearly 100,000 by Jan. 1.

"Diapers are a really big expense," Welsh said. "Depending on the size and the number of the quantity that they're buying, they can be 50 cents apiece. ... That can get to be pretty expensive. It can be upwards of $100 and $120 a month for someone who's living below the poverty line."

Welsh said Bottoms Up operates in 28 counties and partners locally with groups such as Hapcap, Smith Chapel and First Presbyterian Food Pantry to distribute supplies. He described a logistics network that includes six warehouses, three full-size vans and smaller vehicles for short runs. The organization uses food pantries, child-care facilities and domestic-abuse shelters as distribution points.

"We give them to people who give diapers," Welsh said, explaining the group avoids creating new client‑vetting systems by working through existing service providers.

Welsh said the group funds about half of the diapers it distributes and that donations and diaper drives remain important. He provided the organization's website, bottomsup.life, as a contact point for donors and volunteers and said he needed to raise $83,000 this month to support operations.

A commissioner in the meeting commended Welsh and his wife for the work and recalled early diaper drives; commissioners accepted the presentation without formal action.

Details: Welsh said Bottoms Up is piloting potty‑training kits distributed through child‑care centers, and that the group aims to expand its targeted work in Hocking, Ross and Pickaway counties in 2025.