Blog

ERLANGER, Ky. — Candy and diapers are two things many parents probably spend a lot of money on. The first being a sweet indulgence; the second, an expensive necessity many struggle to afford.

Some of the world’s most popular sweets are made in northern Kentucky, but on Wednesday the people who make them set the candy aside to help those struggling families keep their babies happy and healthy.

All the Airheads bars in the world, over 4 million a day, are made at the Perfetti Van Melle factory in Erlanger. The company also makes Mentos, among other products.

Perfetti Van Melle USA, Inc., is part of the Netherlands-based Perfetti Van Melle Group B.V., one of the world’s largest candy manufacturers.

While kids might beg their parents to buy the candy workers at the factory help produce, those workers were instead focused on packing up something kids—babies in particular—really need in diapers.

Tonight I’ll have a story detailing this charitable cause, but while I was talking to President and CEO Sylvia Buxton, I had to ask a question I’ve been wondering my whole life. pic.twitter.com/I3GmqayG7P

— Sam Knef (@SamKnefTV) August 17, 2022

“I actually was speaking to one of our employees behind us a few minutes ago, and I asked her what do you like better, doing this or making candy? And she said absolutely this,” said Perfetti Van Melle North America President and CEO Sylvia Buxton. “During the pandemic, with many families having even more trouble making ends meet, often what can happen is that people will stretch the time between diaper changes, which can not only result in diaper rashes, but even worse health outcomes.”

She said the company had always engaged in a “season of service,” but the COVID-19 pandemic had halted events like the diaper wrapping event for the last few years, until now.

This was one of 13 events the company’s 550 employees are taking part in.

They partnered with Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, and plan to pack about 450,000 diapers to donate to families in need.

Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank partners with local social service agencies to provide diapers to low-income families while raising awareness of the basic health need for diapers.

It’s been a long time coming for Sweet Cheeks, which also saw its off-site wrapping event plans paused by the pandemic.

CEO and Founder Megan Fischer started the diaper bank in her basement seven years ago.

“To see strangers take their time and say this is important, I want to help you, I believe in what you do, still blows me away,” Fischer said. “I think it inspires other people. I think it inspires people to come in and individually volunteer in the warehouse. We need volunteers every day of the year, almost, to get everything done.”

Fischer said across the country, one in three families can’t afford all the diapers they need.

She said families can spend $80 to $100 a month on diapers for each kid. Diapers are also not covered by government assistance.

“We’re distributing over 2 million diapers a year, and meeting maybe 20% of the need in the area. It’s a huge need. And when families don’t have the diapers to keep their babies healthy and safe, they have to make decisions like leave them in a diaper for two days, or reuse a disposable diaper,” she said.

Buxton said Perfetti Van Melle actually continued to grow during the pandemic. People still like to eat candy when times are tough, maybe even more so.

It also turned out the people who make the candy could help others in more ways than one. You can support the diaper bank at sweetcheeksdiaperbank.org.