The Aloha Diaper Bank Newsletter

November 2026

Aloha friends,

This is our first newsletter! Mahalo for being part of the Aloha Diaper Bank ʻohana. Here’s a look back at what your support made possible in October, a $30,000 gift from the Rosendin Foundation, a Thanksgiving tribute to Shirley, our 91-year-old volunteer who keeps us all on our toes, and ways you can help this holiday season.

Our impact in October 🌺

34,425*

diapers distributed to Hawaiʻi families in October

*Preliminary count based on when this newsletter was prepared.

After September’s storms and hurricanes, we gave so much to affected families across the islands that our shelves at Windward Mall ran low all October. Some sizes ran out completely. Every diaper and dollar you give helps us restock.

Every baby deserves a clean diaper. Your gift brings comfort, health, and dignity to Hawaiʻi’s keiki — and hope to the families who love them.

Mahalo to our donors 💗

Donor spotlight: Emma Wo

A special mahalo to Emma Wo, a businesswoman, mother, and founder of Ava + Oliver, for her generous donation of hundreds of baby essentials, from mealtime mats, bowls, plates, utensils and bibs to changing and play mats. Community-minded through and through, Emma is always finding ways to give back. We’re so grateful she keeps Aloha Diaper Bank and Hawaiʻi’s families in mind. Mahalo nui loa, Emma!

A big mahalo to Aloha Pilot Club for its ongoing diaper drive, which brought in a substantial amount of diapers and dollars, and to the neighbors who held their own small drives. Every gift, big or small, makes a difference.

Mahalo, Rosendin Foundation!

On October 22, our team joined the Rosendin Foundation for its 2026 Granting Day, where the foundation shared $105,000 among local nonprofits. We were proud to accept a $30,000 grant for Aloha Diaper Bank, and to stand alongside other organizations doing important work for Hawaiʻi’s families.

The Rosendin Foundation’s mission is to positively impact communities, build and empower people, and inspire innovation. Their support comes at a critical time, after September’s storms left our shelves running low, and it will help keep diapers in the hands of the keiki and families who need them most. Mahalo nui loa!

Still Giving at 91: Mahalo, Shirley!

This Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for Shirley. At 91, she has volunteered with Aloha Diaper Bank for more than five years, coming in twice a week for five hours at a time. That’s 10 hours every week, or more than 500 hours a year, of packing diapers, assembling potty kits, and pitching in wherever she’s needed.

Shirley retired about 30 years ago after a 21-year career. Rather than slowing down, she fills her days with service: on Tuesday mornings she teaches Hawaiian quilting as a volunteer at the senior center, then heads over to us. When the center offered to pay her, she turned it down. She prefers to volunteer.

A mother of four, grandmother of six and great-grandmother of six, Shirley knows what young families go through. “Looking at some of them, you feel so sorry for the kids. They’re the ones suffering,” she says. She often sees grandparents picking up diapers for their grandchildren and notes that when she was raising her own family, “we never had such a thing.”

Shirley found us by word of mouth back when we were downstairs, and she has watched our work grow, from wrapping every bundle in plastic wrap to today’s faster bag-and-seal process. She even recruits friends who walk the mall to come in and lend a hand. “You gotta work as a team,” she says. Her family has caught the spirit too: when her granddaughter visited with a new baby, she brought back her diapers so they could go to families who need them more.

“Coming out to volunteer makes a big difference,” Shirley says. “If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t come.”

Shirley brings the spirit (and her famous cornbread) every time she walks in. If someone’s five minutes late, she’ll let them know!

When we asked what she’s thankful for this year, Shirley didn’t hesitate: her health, so she can keep doing things for herself and for others. This Thanksgiving, we’re thankful for her — for every diaper she’s packed, every friend she’s brought through our doors, and every family she’s helped. Mahalo nui loa, Shirley!

Around the islands 🌴

💛 Happening now

Target Circle campaign — now through Dec. 31.

1. Open the Target app and tap My Target.

2. Find Target Circle Community Voting and tap Cast votes.

3. Select Aloha Diaper Bank, choose how many votes to give, and submit!

Kira’s Diaper Drive

Kira Yamamoto, a senior at Pacific Buddhist Academy, has partnered with Aloha Diaper Bank for her senior project: a diaper drive running November 1–20. Diapers of all sizes can be dropped off in the school office at 1754 Lusitana St., Honolulu. To give dollars instead, scan the QR code on her flyer and reference “Kira’s Diaper Drive.”

Kira will also be joining us at the diaper bank to help wrap diapers, so she can see firsthand how every donation reaches families. Questions? Email kiradiaperdrive@gmail.com.

📅 Coming up

• Four Strings of Aloha 20th anniversary diaper drive — Saturday, Nov. 14, 9–10 a.m. at Windward Mall. This ukulele club is celebrating 20 years by collecting diapers and dollars for us. Come say aloha!

• Give Big Hawaii — kicks off Nov. 23 and ramps up to Giving Tuesday, Dec. 1.

• Giving Machine at Whalers Village, Lahaina — launches Black Friday, Nov. 27. Look for Aloha Diaper Bank in the Maui Giving Machine.

• Kāneʻohe Christmas Parade — Dec. 5. Official parade t-shirts are available at Aloha Diaper Bank, the only pickup spot in Windward Mall.

Good to know

🗓️ Holiday closures

We’ll be closed Nov. 3 (Election Day), Nov. 11 (Veterans Day), and Nov. 26–27 (Thanksgiving).

📦 Dropping off when we’re closed?

Please use the drop box in the theater or at Nanstar and Friends downstairs next to Starbucks. Please don’t leave diapers at our gate — some have gone missing. Mahalo!

See more photos and updates on our Instagram, @alohadiaperbank.

Know someone who’d love these updates? Forward this email and invite them to join our ʻohana.