Period Kits’ 2-Year Anniversary Special
Two years.
That may not seem like a very long time.
But compare it up with the year that has been 2020 and a year can seem like a decade!
While the world seemed to slow down because of COVID-19, the need for women to have a source for reliable period products did not.
Before the pandemic, 1 in 4 girls in America had missed school due to a lack of access to period products.
Period poverty didn’t stop with the pandemic.
In fact, the need for groups like Period Kits grew even more! With people forced out of work and unable to rely on the money they used to, the lack of availability hit them hard.
As a celebration of Period Kits’ 2 year anniversary coming up, we’re taking a look at how Period Kits got started.
And where it plans on going in the future.
How It All Started
Ashley Bierne had a different idea for celebrating her birthday than most people generally do.
She had a goal of creating 300 period supply kits.
Period Kits was informally born in 2018 by Ashely recruiting friends and sending out the kits they had built.
Period Kits was officially founded in February 2019 by Geoff Davis.
Based in Colorado, Period Kits is the only organization in the state that focuses on supporting period poverty awareness and providing support to local, unstably housed people.
Period Kits envisions a world where anyone who needs period products can get them in a dependable and consistent way when they need them.
Menstruation is still a touchy topic that people would rather avoid than talk about.
Period Kits wants to end that stigma.
In the past two years, Period Kits has grown. (Even during the pandemic!)
They’ve been able to expand their Board of Directors, distribution sites, and a number of community members.
Each person has become an advocate for ending the stigma and carrying out Period Kits’ vision.
Geoff Davis
As an added bonus, here’s a quick interview with Geoff Davis — the founder of Period Kits!
Tell us briefly about Period Kits and how it started.
Period Kits started out after a conversation with a friend who didn’t have the best upbringing. She talked about having food and tampons in her hand and putting the food back because she couldn’t afford both.
What drew you to be involved with Period Kits’ mission?
I founded this organization on the very simple principle that no human being should have to choose between food and tampons.
What specifically will donations go toward?
Donations cover the cost of products.
We are a 100 % volunteer-led organization.
Every kit contains 40 tampons, 20 pads, 20 liners, 6 pairs of underwear, and a package of hygiene wipes. We distribute over 300 kits a month but have a waitlist of agencies needing kits. The waitlist totals over 400 kits a month that we don’t have the capacity to handle.
We’d love to hear a specific story that stands out to you that shows how Period Kits has really helped someone in need.
We received an email from a 28 yr old single mother of two kids under 3. She said that every month she bought diapers and stole tampons and prayed she didn’t get caught.
We helped her out with the product for a year.
What is the best way for people to help in the future? (Volunteering, donating, etc.)
All of the above. LOL. Money is always the preference, being a tax-exempt organization means that our dollars will go further at the store than others. Truth is we always need help with product, delivering product, and building kits. Especially since COVID-19, we lost our ability to have public kit building events.
What do you see for the future of your organization in the next year or so?
GLOBAL DOMINATION, lol. Future of Period Kits is to be a national organization that distributes products and focuses on education around period poverty. People need to understand that this is not an “over there” issue. This is an issue in Denver, in Colorado and in America.
Moving Forward
Period Kits’ future involves following their vision.
“We envision a world where anyone who has a period has dependable and consistent access to the products they need when they need them. It's that simple.
We are working to achieve this vision through street outreach, and by providing kits to community partners who serve those struggling to meet basic needs.”
They will continue to grow their reach. By helping those in need and spreading awareness.
Knowledge is key in ending the stigma around period talk.
Period Kits may still be a fairly new company, but one thing is for sure —
They got big plans for the future.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
If you’d like to donate to Period Kits and support their mission — click here.