APPLETON — When many Fox Cities residents think about helping the needy, they often consider donating canned goods, clothing and blankets.

But there's another necessity, often overlooked, in high demand: diapers.

It's that pressing need among low-income families that has triggered The Post-Crescent's latest Do It! Community Challenge, "Dollars for Diapers," which launches today and runs through June 12. The fund-raising goal is $50,000.

The J. J. Keller Foundation and the Fox Cities Chapter of Credit Unions will each match donations up to $10,000. Kimberly-Clark Corp. will match up to 10,000 diapers.

"We were looking for a fourth annual 'Do It!' campaign, for something that would help with basic needs and the needs of young people," said Dan Flannery, The P-C's executive editor. "When Peter Kelly of the United Way approached us with this idea, it seemed like a great fit."

While reviewing United Way's community research, Kelly discovered the demand in northeastern Wisconsin is in line with a national need. A 2010 national study commissioned by Kimberly-Clark found that one in three mothers struggles to afford diapers.

With these findings as their catalyst, United Way Fox Cities and Kimberly-Clark started the Fox Cities Diaper Bank, which provides diapers for St. Joseph's Food Program and Salvation Army to distribute to those in need.

Donations to "Dollars for Diapers" will be used to purchase diapers to stock the Fox Cities Diaper Bank.

"The Fox Cities Diaper Bank has the potential to help hundreds of Fox Valley families in a way we hadn't thought of," Flannery said. "With the help of our readers and strong community partners, this will make a major difference in thousands of young lives."

Monica Clare, St. Joseph's Food Program director of operations, said her program alone is linked to 305 children under age 4. Salvation Army social services director Pat Leigl said his organization assists 804 diaper-wearing children.

Leigl said parents who struggle to provide food for their children find buying diapers almost impossible. The price of generic disposable diapers is about 30 cents.

Online donations can be made through the Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Region's website, www.cffoxvalley.org. Donations also can be made at 44 credit union branches in the Fox Cities, at the Community Foundation office (4455 W. Lawrence St., Appleton) and at The Post-Crescent (306 W. Washington St., Appleton).

Monetary donations are encouraged for logistical reasons, but packs of diapers are also welcome, Kelly said.

Participating credit unions are Community First, Fox Communities, Lakeview, Capital, Prospera, Best Advantage, Evergreen, Labor, Badger Globe, CONE (City of Neenah Employees), Winnebago Community, Menasha Employees, St. Elizabeth Employees, KimCentral and Unison.

The "Dollars for Diapers" campaign is the fourth of The Post-Crescent's annual Do It! Community Challenges.

The others are "Sack It To Goodwill," which helps Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin collect hundreds of thousands of pounds of donations each spring, supporting 25 programs and services; "Backpacks for Kids," which raises funds that provide more than 25,000 Fox Valley students with new backpacks filled with school supplies for the new academic year; and "Stock the Shelves," which raises money for Fox Valley food pantries.