The Origin Story

Permanent Diaper Relief started as a for-profit small business.  Madelaine Martin had her first child and realized quickly how efficient and cost-effective cloth diapers were to her family, so a year later she opened up Cheeky Things, a diaper service. After a few years as a business owner, Martin was discouraged by the small margin of families she was able to serve due to her business structure.

When the quarantine orders of Covid-19 came into effect, Martin reached out to her community and gathered all of the pre-loved diapers she could find. She began distributing these diapers in quantities of 10 in order to relieve families from worrying about the diaper shortage that crippled many homes with uncertainty during the first few weeks of the pandemic.

Within three weeks, Martin distributed 400 diapers among 40 families. Shortly after the diaper shortage seized, Martin realized that as long as there is poverty, there will be diaper need, and she decided to continue her efforts on a more permanent basis, restructuring her business to a nonprofit organization that could serve her entire community.

Since its establishment in 2020, PDR has expanded to multiple programs focusing on empowerment and self-sufficiency through education and sustainable products.