Doing the Right Thing

LEAP News

September 2025

A Note from Our CEO

Greetings!

Sometimes you make a decision because it’s the right thing to do, even when you don’t know how it will work out. That’s what happened with our diaper bank. When a community member, Wendi Ostroff, reached out to me in 2020 to share her worries that there was no registered diaper bank in Santa Barbara County, I agreed that LEAP could and should fill this need. I didn’t know how we would do it. There are no grants or government funds for diapers. I also didn’t know how our Family Resource Center staff would be able to manage the extra workload of distributing diapers. But when I checked in with our Family Resource Center team, it was clear that they wanted to step up to meet this need.

So, we started. Fast forward to today. We have distributed more than 250,000 diapers to babies across all parts of our county, from Carpinteria to Santa Maria. We’ve begun a partnership with Hearts Aligned to provide diapers to their clients who are facing critical illness. Many organizations and businesses have hosted diaper drives to keep our diaper bank full. September is Diaper Need Awareness Month. But, the truth is, we need diapers every month of the year. If you’d like to make a monthly donation to help provide diapers, you can do that here. If you would like to host a diaper drive, please reach out to Kara Shoemaker.

Warmly,

Lori Lander Goodman

Chief Executive Officer

Donate Diapers All Month Long!

This September, we’re shining a light on Diaper Need Awareness Week (Sept 15–21). We’ve teamed up with local groups to host diaper drives at partner locations across Santa Barbara County to keep little ones clean, healthy, and happy. You can support families by dropping off diapers at any of our partner locations.

Meet LEAP's Family Advocates

Kinecta Helps Students Start the Year Strong

Thank you, Kinecta, for donating 29 backpacks filled with essential school supplies!

This summer, the Kinecta team hosted a back-to-school drive to collect materials for students in need. These backpacks will be gifted to elementary students through our School-Based Family Advocate initiative at Isla Vista, El Camino, and La Patera schools. For many families, the cost of back-to-school supplies can be overwhelming. Donations like these ensure that every child starts the school year prepared and ready to learn.

Upcoming Webinar: Hope and Healing in Uncertainty

Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Time: 6:30 - 7:30 pm

Location: Zoom

Join us for the final session of LEAP’s wellness series! Hope and Healing in Uncertainty, will offer strategies for finding a sense of hope and purpose, even when the future is uncertain. You will learn tools for healing from past traumas and developing a mindset of personal growth and resilience.

This workshop is free and open to all!

Secure Your Financial Future

LEAP is partnering with Bank of America to offer a course on financial literacy! In this 5-session webinar, you will learn about the basics of banking, budgeting, building credit, protecting your finances, and more!

Start date: Weds, October 8, 2025

Time: 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Location: Zoom

To register, call Ana Maya: (805) 869-3303

Many Ways to Give

Volunteer

Looking for a hands-on way to help the community? Visit our volunteer page for the latest opportunities

Become a Monthly Donor

$5, $10, or $25 a month makes a huge impact over time! Your monthly gift ensures a steady stream of resources, allowing us to plan and execute long-term projects and reach more families.

Donate Food or Diapers

Help hungry families by donating shelf stable food to our Emergency Food Pantry. Or donate diapers and wipes to our Diaper Bank so babies stay healthy and dry. Contact Ana Maya to drop off these necessary supplies.

Donate

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