Power to The Period
Did you know that 3.5 million Americans experience homelessness each year? When I saw that statistic, my heart sank. I’ve lived a privileged life where I’ve never had to worry about food or shelter, and I’ve been blessed with a loving and supportive circle of family and friends. I can’t even imagine the daily physical and emotional toll of homelessness, and it hurts my heart to know that so many of my fellow Americans are in need at this very moment. While I always make a concentrated effort to regularly donate clothing, food, and home goods to my local shelters, I recently learned that homeless women are in desperate need of feminine hygiene products. Many homeless Americans have limited access to period products and no resources to obtain them. Periods aren’t fun to begin with, so just imagine how hard it would be to experience your period without any of the proper supplies. Thankfully, the U by Kotex Power to the Period drive is working to end this issue, and I’m so excited to join the cause. Today I’m sharing how you can join in to make sure that every woman has access to period products!U by Kotex Power to the Period Drive
The U by Kotex Power to the Period drive started with a simple tweet. Holly Sanchez saw the need for period products amongst the homeless community and urged her followers to buy an extra box of pads or tampons to donate to a homeless shelter in their area. U by Kotex caught wind of her amazing idea, and they teamed up with Holly and DoSomething.org to create a national campaign. DoSomething.org has 5.3 million members in 131 countries who are involved in volunteer projects for nearly every cause under the sun, so there’s a lot of manpower behind this important campaign! The Power to the Period drive allows us to join together to help women in need AND start a much-needed conversation about the period needs of the homeless community. I’m so excited to get involved with such a powerful campaign, and I’d love for you to join me (and other AMAZING, inspiring women like Holly and Ingrid Nilsen) to help make women’s lives even a little bit easier.How YOU Can Help
If you’d like to help homeless Americans gain better access to period products, I highly encourage you to get involved with the U by Kotex Power to the Period donation drive. First, you’ll want to pick up a few unopened packages of period products, including pads, panty liners, and tampons . It’s important to donate unopened packages as opposed to individually wrapped items because it’s important for people to have the opportunity to read the instructions on the packaging. Then, encourage your friends and family to join the cause. Gather your donations together and bring them to a local homeless shelter. Plus, you’ll want to officially sign up for the drive to enter to win a $5,000 scholarship! You can find out more information at UbyKotex.com and DoSomething.org, or you can text PERIOD to 38383 to have information sent directly to your phone.
This week I picked up a dozen packages of U by Kotex pads and tampons in different varieties, and I can’t wait to donate them tomorrow to One Heart for Women & Children in Orlando. Homelessness in America is such a serious issue, and I know that it can be hard to know how to help. I love this campaign because it allows everyone – even if you have limited resources yourself – to make an impact on this problem. Even if you can only donate one $3 box of panty liners, I promise that even a small donation can make a huge impact on a woman’s life.
While the Power to the Period Donation Drive is the first-ever national period products donation drive, it’s also the second phase of U by Kotex’s Period Projects. The Period Projects is a series of projects inspired and led by real women to create real change. You can visit UbyKotex.com to find out more information about the Period Projects, and you can even sign up for a free U by Kotex® product sample. It’s time for us to start a real discussion about access to period products, so let’s get the conversation started on social media with the hashtag #PeriodProjects! If we join together, we can make a difference in the lives of women around the country.
