When the Covid pandemic emerged, Lindsay Gill, Bethesda’s mother of three, said she heard over and over again that mothers were struggling to afford basic baby essentials. At the same time, she knew many mothers in the community who were willing to offer support. So she took action, posting on Facebook that she would be collecting nappies for the DC Diaper Bank. Within a few days, she had collected thousands. Nevertheless, she “knew immediately that it could be bigger than a simple nappy drive.” Because there were already “well-respected” non-profit organisations focused on collecting baby products, she decided to focus on the social networking aspect first: “Creating spaces and opportunities for mums to come together and make this important.” She calls it the Napkin Network. Today, it’s a social-network-driven 501(c)(3) organized to meet specific needs – money, winter coats, etc. Gill says, “Our community of mums often exceeds our expectations.”
During this year’s formula milk shortage, Napkin Network went into overdrive to focus solely on that. “At the height of the formula milk shortage crisis, I gave birth to my third formula-fed baby,” says Jill. “Not only was I the founder of an organisation that helps mums in need, but I became a mum in need myself.” Every Friday, her team holds a Formula Race, which has attracted national media attention and garnered coverage on the BBC and SKY NEWS. Mums send in formula samples, extra cans, post pictures of formula stocks in local shops, pay for overnight shipping and much more.” Gill, who worked in business development for the non-profit Luke’s Wings in Washington DC for ten years before founding Napkin Network, estimates that the drives benefited around 200 families.
