Nearly one in five families across New York state experience poverty. For many of them, trying to provide for children becomes even harder.

"What you see on the shelves out there is just what's going out to our partners. These diapers back here and then into the warehouse, we used to have a window here that you could see out," said CNY Diaper Bank Founder & Executive Director Michela Hugo, showing some of the expanded warehouse space that they lease with help from local sponsors, like Pioneer.

Hugo and the non-profit have seen their space expand with the need for their services over the years.

"We know that diapers are as important as clothing and food and shelter, and there are supports in place for for material basics like that, but not for diapers," she added.

According to the most recent data by the National Diaper Bank network, their members distributed more than 84.5 million diapers in 2019 with a growing yearly trend and many families having faced increased financial stress over the pandemic.

"It's a huge weight lifted off," said Hugo. "They're so expensive, families can spend up to $70 to $80 a month per child."

And that's just diapers. Formula and other essentials are part of a growing mission for Hugo and company.

"They can buy more food, they can pay a bill, they can cover transportation," Hugo added. "They can use their money for other things. It's about families having everything they need to thrive and babies having everything they need to be healthy."

CNY Diaper Bank has 36 partners that help serve the greater Syracuse area. The hope is that as the demand grows, the donations and support will continue to do the same from CNY to the entire Empire State.