Kelly Sawyer Patricof

Company: Baby2Baby
Title: Co-Chief Executive Officer
Industry: Non-profit
Hometown: Vancouver, Canada
Notable in 2023: Hosted U.S. VP Kamala Harris, federal government and Baby2Baby announced a pilot program to improve maternal care and support struggling families.

With a cost of roughly $1,000 per year, per child, diapers are a major financial burden for many families, according to the National Diaper Bank Network. And while some low-income families can receive access to assistance programs, many fall into an "invisible income gap," according to a report on the nation's "diaper crisis" from Harvard Public Health.

That is the focus of Kelly Sawyer Patricof and her co-CEO at Baby2Baby, Norah Weinstein, who took over a grassroots organization roughly a decade ago and have together transformed it into a national nonprofit at the forefront of efforts to provide diapers to children in need.

Last May, its prominence in tackling this issue drew the attention of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who visited a Baby2Baby facility as the federal government and nonprofit announced a pilot program. Baby2Baby and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are working together to distribute newborn supply kits to families, in support of a Biden Administration goal of improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes by providing essentials for both mother and child, from diapers and wipes to thermometers and breastfeeding supplies.

"The disparities in maternal and neonatal health care in this country are staggering — and unacceptable," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement at the time of the program's launch. The federal government also launched a web site to provide information and resources through HHS.

Originally becoming known for an innovative form of diaper manufacturing that allows Baby2Baby to produce diapers at a significantly lower cost than traditional retail diapers – last year alone, Baby2Baby received requests for 1.3 billion diapers – the nonprofit provides a wide range of necessities for families with newborns. Baby2Baby eases the financial stress families face in making ends meet for rent, groceries and utilities in an era of elevated inflation.

Through its own disaster relief and emergency response program, Baby2Baby has distributed 50 million items to children and families impacted by natural disasters, including floods in California and tornadoes in Mississippi.