This Mother’s Day, you can donate desperately needed nappies to mothers in shelters and families in crisis. The Nappy Collective will soon begin its largest drive yet, collecting leftover unused nappies in 18 cities and towns at over 170 drop points around the country.

From May 1-15, tens of thousands of spare nappies are expected to be donated by the public in cities including Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart, Canberra, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Alice Springs, as well as regional areas like Newcastle, Albury, Upper Hunter Valley, Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong.

At the end of the drive, the nappies (mostly destined for landfill) will be collected, sorted and donated to mothers in shelters and families in need in each locality.

The concept behind the Melbourne based organisation is simple: many parents have a stash of outgrown nappies gathering dust in their cupboards. At the same time, mothers fleeing family violence often struggle to provide for their young children, often changing their babies less frequently or forgoing other basic essentials to afford sufficient nappies.

The Nappy Collective’s solution is to give parents an opportunity to collectively help families in crisis by donating their handful of nappies.

Collectives run twice a year and supply a growing list of over 60 organisations including welfare organisations and women’s shelters. Following strong demand in other cities, The Nappy Collective’s aim is to continue to expand its reach for subsequent collectives.

Family violence rates have reached crisis point in Australia and affect many families with young children.

Statistics suggest one woman is killed every week by their partner (though this figure appears to have doubled this year) and one in four children will witness family violence.

In addition, research has demonstrated that domestic violence is a key cause of homelessness for women in Australia, creating an urgent need for material aid and support for mothers fleeing family violence.

For more information and to find a collection point near you, check out www.thenappycollective.com.

Do you have leftover nappies you can donate?