Periods Do Not Stop for a Pandemic
While there have been widespread efforts to tackle PPE shortages and food insecurity during the pandemic, one missing piece of the local and national dialogue has been menstruation. Menstrual equity is the right of every menstruator to have stigma-free access to the period products they need. According to the International Federation Of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 500 million people experience period poverty, which is the inability to afford menstrual products, across the globe. The United States is not immune to this issue. A 2019 study conducted by PERIOD.org and sustainable period underwear company Thinx found that in the U.S., one in five teens struggled to afford period products or have not been able to purchase them at all.
As a result of pervasive job loss, healthcare needs, and the inability for facilities to allocate adequate funds for menstrual products due to unforeseen costs, both homeless shelters and correctional facilities are in grave need of menstrual products during this time. Tampons and pads are essential health items often overlooked due to their stigma. Diya Khullar, a graduate of Northeastern University from Summit, NJ, and Linzy Rosen, a junior at Colby College from Westfield, NJ, are hoping to change that.
In May, Khullar launched the “Menstrual Products for Jersey” initiative by creating a Facebook page, contacting several organizations to partner with, and calling upon her network to support this effort; Rosen teamed up to collect products in Westfield and garner financial donations from her community. In just the past 3.5 weeks, Khullar and Rosen have collected and ordered a total of 232 panty liners, 6,823 pads, and 662 tampons. 100% of financial donations are used for orders of menstrual products, with bulk orders being placed every other week to minimize environmental impact. Donations are going to Family Promise Union County, Essex County Correctional Facility, Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless, and GRACE – Giving and Receiving Assistance for our Community’s Essentials.
To support this student-led effort, please Venmo @MenstrualProductsforNJ or inquire about checks directly to one of the four organizations, and email Khullar at menstrualproductsfornj@gmail.com to arrange curbside pickup of menstrual products or ask any other questions. Opened and unopened containers of tampons, pads, or liners will be accepted as long as the products are individually wrapped and sealed. Your donations are greatly appreciated and will bolster the profound mission of ending the period stigma and supporting those most impacted by the unprecedented health and financial challenges of COVID-19. Periods do not stop for a pandemic. Thank you for your generosity and support.
