What is “Period Poverty”?
Lack of access to sanitary products for women due to financial difficulties and other factors. The Time to Help, Period project recognizes the dignity of the whole person, given to us by God, and for a woman this includes her reproductive cycle. Every girl/woman should have access to sanitary products that will help keep her healthy in body and mind. This project is bringing awareness and help to the Alpena community. We supply period products to our designated points of contact allowing them to be able to provide consistent availability of period products to anyone who needs them.
Who is impacted?
Teenage girls and women who lack the resources to buy these much needed items.
Why does it matter?
An “Always” survey of 16-24 year old’s reveals that nearly one in five American girls have left school early because they did not have access to period products.
A study by Obstetrics & Gynecology found that approximately one fifth of low income women are unable to afford needed menstrual hygiene supplies each month.
Some women have limited quantities of period products based on what they can afford. As a result, some are using items longer than recommended or resort to using other items such as toilet paper or paper towels to try to get by. This can have a negative impact on a woman’s physical and mental well being. By making sure women have access to menstrual products, we can help keep them healthy.
What can you do?
- Learn more about this issue that impacts women from a local to a global scale.
- Donate products (packages of individually wrapped sanitary pads, tampons and liners). You can drop them off (or have them shipped directly to) All Saints Parish, 817 Sable St., Alpena, MI 49707.
- Organize a donation drive at your place of work, worship or social group.
- Financially support Time to Help, Period. To give online click here.
- Volunteer to help. Different ways to help include: packing bags with period products, purchasing products, taking period products to our points of contact, grant writing, etc.
Email: timetohelpperiod@alpenacatholics.org Phone: 989 354-3019
Impact in our community:
Project was absolutely amazing for our students at Alpena High School! Our young women were both surprised and delighted to find necessary period products placed in the girls’ restrooms this year. Thanks to Time to Help, girls spent more time in class learning, retained more personal dignity and felt more in control of taking care of their individual needs. Since our poverty rate was at 47% before COVID-19, the continuation of this project will be critical to the success of our young women as they return to school in the fall. Time to Help was wonderful to partner with both during the school year and throughout the COVID-19 school closure. Time to Help provided period products promptly as needed and also worked with me to make sure our women received products at each of our school food distribution sites. They are outstanding!” -Lisa Seigert (School Success at AHS).