End Period Poverty and Give Girls, Women Hope

As the coronavirus sweeps across the United States, with more cases confirmed each day in Wisconsin, we're busy supporting local needs to keep families protected. 

Our first wave of response included:

• Triple distributions of adult care essentials (Depend® or Poise®) through our community partners
• Host Senior Safety Drive-Thru Basic Needs Distributions (This was quite literally a drive-thru, where we worked to minimize any contact. We used signs and hand signals, then placed needed items into trunks/backseats of vehicles. Items distributed included incontinence supplies, toothpaste, and other hygiene basics.)
• Double diaper distributions to community partners serving medically fragile families 
• Period product distributions grab 'n go style at meal sites that are also grab 'n go 
• Potential for increased baby diaper distributions

This is a highly fluid situation, and our distribution center home, the Hope Factory, is closed to public volunteers. We're operating with a minimal staff and volunteer crew, while maintaining increased sanitation and social distancing within Hope Factory. We're also using our whole-Factory air exchange system, which completely changes air in less than three minutes. 

"Wow, Stephanie! that is so great," said Jessica Adams at Wise Women Gathering Place. "We have been working remotely from the office and meeting with clients electronically. I will share this with staff in case they have any clients with questions."

Thank you for your ongoing support, which helps make us able to respond rapidly during crisis times like these.

Providing period supplies reduces stress, provides confidence and dignity for young women.

We all probably have one: that embarrassing moment from our middle or high school days that turned our faces red and left us with emotional scars. While we can make light of how hard this phase of life is, it’s important to recognize the ways we can change this and support youth struggling in today’s societies.

When a girl living in poverty starts her period, this can create an automatic barrier to continuing education. There, unfortunately, is a negative stigma around menstruation, and not having adequate supplies can make a young woman feel embarrassed or anxious about leaking.

Period supplies, like diapers, are an often overlooked necessity that people living in poverty struggle to afford. In our country, 12.7% of the population nationwide is living at or below the recognized poverty level.

Yet, the programs are not in place to ensure adequate supply. Period products cannot be obtained with SNAP or WIC benefits, and many people simply do not think of the need when making in-kind donations to local organizations.

Our period products program supports various local schhols, including the Green Bay District.In the Green Bay School District, 1 in every 22 students during the 2018-19 school year were homeless, as according to new reports citing Wisconsin Department of Instruction data.

Across the city, the poverty rate is 17.2%, higher than the state poverty rate of just 12.3%. What’s more, females living in Green Bay are 30% more likely than males to be struggling with poverty, according to WelfareInfo statistics. 

The need is ongoing, every month a girl living in poverty is faced with difficult decisions on whether to go to school because she doesn't have items needed to support her period. Meeting her basic need for period supplies can help restore her dignity and confidence as she pursues education.

With period supplies available, she can have the confidence to go to school, work, sports, and so on — without feeling anxious or embarrassed.