Today we’d like to introduce you to Ayanna White.
Hi Ayanna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Power In Changing was born from a very real, very human moment for me a single mom working hard for my family, realizing I had to choose between diapers for baby and gas to get to work. That moment made one thing clear to me: no parent should ever have to make that kind of choice. My mother stepped in to help me and that made a huge difference.
What started as a small act of care in 2015 has grown into a trusted diaper bank serving families across South Carolina. For more than ten years, we’ve shown up quietly, consistently, and with compassion distributing diapers, wipes, period products, and other essentials to families who are doing their best with what they have.
But our work has never just been about diapers. It’s about dignity. It’s about making sure parents feel seen, respected, and supported not judged. When families walk through our doors, we meet them where they are, with open hands and open hearts.
Power In Changing exists because families deserve more than survival they deserve stability, hope, and the reassurance that they are not alone.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has the journey been smooth? Like most nonprofit work, the answer is no. The greatest challenge has been operating in a system where diapers and period products items that are absolutely essential for health, dignity, and participation in daily life are not covered by state or federal assistance programs.
Families are often told to “put family first,” yet the systems designed to support them fall short of what that truly requires. Parents cannot go to work, attend school, or place their children in childcare without diapers. Students miss class because they lack access to period products. And for many families we serve, even a $10 purchase for these basic necessities feels impossible when rent, utilities, and food are already stretched beyond their limits.
This gap creates a quiet crisis, one that rarely makes headlines but leaves lasting effects on children and caregivers. Without steady access to these basics, families face more stress, health concerns, and obstacles to economic progress. As a diaper bank, we step in to fill that gap every day, often working with limited resources and growing demand.
The challenge is made harder by the fact that diaper banks depend almost entirely on private donations, volunteers, and partnerships to address a need that’s both predictable and preventable. Demand keeps climbing, while public funding remains scarce. But families simply can’t afford to wait.
These struggles have not weakened us they have strengthened our purpose. They underscore why our work is not just charitable, but essential infrastructure. Until public policy catches up with the realities families face, organizations like Power In Changing remain a lifeline, ensuring children can stay healthy, parents can stay employed, and families have the opportunity not just to survive, but to thrive in today’s economy.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Power In Changing is a South Carolina–based diaper bank and family support organization dedicated to meeting one of the most overlooked basic needs facing families with young children: access to diapers, period products, and essential hygiene supplies. We serve families across multiple counties through direct distribution, community partnerships, and agency collaborations ensuring support reaches families where they already live, work, and seek care.
At Power In Changing, we specialize in providing dignified access to essentials. Diapers and period products are not luxuries they are vital health necessities that influence a family’s ability to work, attend school, access childcare, and maintain stability. We are recognized for meeting these needs with compassion, consistency, and respect, free from judgment or unnecessary barriers. What sets us apart is our community-rooted approach.
Founded by a mother who personally faced diaper need, our work is driven by lived experience and guided by the real needs of families—not assumptions. Serving as both a direct-service provider and a trusted partner to schools, health clinics, shelters, and social service agencies, we respond swiftly and effectively as circumstances change. For more than a decade, our integrity and reliability have earned the trust of families, partners, and volunteers who know us as a small but mighty organization that shows up, even when resources are scarce. We are proud to be nationally recognized through partnerships with leading organizations while remaining deeply committed to our local impact.
What we want readers to know is this: Power In Changing is more than a diaper bank. We are essential infrastructure for families navigating economic hardship. Our services help parents stay employed, children stay healthy, and communities stay stronger. Until diapers and period products are fully recognized and funded as basic needs, our work remains critical and we are committed to doing it with heart, accountability, and purpose
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Over the next 5–10 years, I pray that diaper bank and basic-needs sector will shift from being viewed as charitable support to being recognized as essential infrastructure for families. Diapers and period products are foundational to health, childcare access, and workforce participation and policy is slowly beginning to catch up to that reality.
The need is growing faster than the resources available. With rising living costs, benefit gaps, and economic instability, more families are turning to diaper banks, yet public funding is scarce or nonexistent. The sector remains critically underfunded despite producing clear, cost-effective results. This is happening in real time.
Looking ahead, stronger collaboration with healthcare, childcare, and social services, along with consistent government investment, will be essential. Without that change, communities will keep depending on nonprofits to fill a gap that was never meant to be supported by donations alone.
The organizations that survive the next decade will be those that combine dignity-centered service with strong advocacy because families cannot wait for systems to catch up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.powerinchangingsc.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerinchanging
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/powerinchanging
