In 1992, our founder and president Richard Fleischer was alarmed by the cost of the diapers he needed to buy for his newly adopted daughter. He wondered how less-fortunate families could manage such an expense, and was convinced that the need was too great to ignore. So he and longtime friend Frank DePetrillo decided to do something about it.

Through a unique partnership with the Girl Scouts of RI, Project Undercover began as a small group of volunteers organizing an annual diaper drive. For almost 15 years they successfully collected and distributed thousands of diapers every April. But with approximately 45,000 Rhode Island kids living in poverty (20,000 under the age of seven), the Project needed to expand.

In 2010, Project Undercover was formalized as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. We have an active volunteer board, and we work with 30 partner agencies around the state to distribute diapers, socks, wipes, and underwear to RI families in need. We use data from the RI Department of Human Services to help us make the greatest possible impact.