When Richard Fleischer and his wife adopted two girls, ages 4 and 2, from India, the youngest was still in diapers – “a surprise to us,” he said.
Fleischer by day is the general manager of Beacon Communications in Warwick, which includes the Rhode Island Newspaper Group, and co-owns and co-publishes Providence Media.
“I bought diapers for the first time in my life when I was well into my 40s and said the cost of this stuff is ridiculous,” recollected Fleischer, who asked himself why someone hadn’t committed themselves to making diapers more affordable.
From those first purchases Project Undercover, a Providence-based nonprofit that donates diapers, underwear, socks and baby wipes to families in need, was born.
The name Project Undercover “fit” said Fleischer, because in 1992 there were very few people talking about the need among families living in poverty.
“I never thought about kids in poverty not having diapers or socks until somebody told me,” he said, adding that a lack of underwear, diapers and socks may lead to bullying and self-esteem issues.
Fleischer estimates that of the state’s 1 million population, roughly 20,000 are children under the age of 7. “In that core group you’re looking at 8,000 to 9,000 kids living in poverty – that’s our target,” he said.
Rather than delivery directly to families, Project Undercover works with multiple state and local community agencies. Then, through a statewide network, of which Fleischer is very proud, the merchandise is delivered.
Each year, he estimated, 400,000 diapers, 20,000 pairs of socks, 1 million wipes and “several thousand” pairs of underwear are donated to those who cannot purchase these essential items for themselves. The network, said Fleisher, is so extensive that companies, including Ocean State Job Lot and Bed Bath and Beyond, have begun to bring him donated kids items and ask they be distributed via the setup.
Over the years Fleischer said he learned that with a $70,000 annual operating budget, the nonprofit “can move $400,000 worth of merchandise.”
But the organization received a financial windfall recently, when, at its 25th anniversary celebration, $50,000 was raised for the cause.
Project Undercover’s “future is [financially] ensured,” said Fleischer of the organization’s endowment, which reaches “very well into six figures.”
Fleischer hopes to put the money raised toward a larger storage space. Currently the nonprofit stores its inventory in a 1,000-square-foot classroom on Federal Hill but is looking to triple its space to between 3,000 and 5,000 square feet.
In the next five years, he also hopes to follow the lead of a Los Angeles-based organization and open a storefront to serve families in need.
Recent national philanthropic rankings have listed Rhode Island among the least charitable states in the U.S. – but Fleischer said that hasn’t been the reality for Project Undercover.
Calling Rhode Islanders “over-the-top generous,” he said: “Part of it, I’m sure, is this particular [need]. When you talk about kids without underwear, it’s not a hard sell.”
PRESIDENT: Richard Fleischer
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Nonprofit
LOCATION: 35 Swiss St., Providence (Warehouse address)
EMPLOYEES: 13-member, volunteer board of directors
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1992
OPERATING BUDGET: $70,000 annually