Sylvia’s Sisters Receives Historic Donation for Period Poverty

A Richmond nonprofit dedicated to menstrual health just got its largest donation ever: 200,000 U by Kotex menstrual products. According to the organization, it’s a huge relief for locals who lack access to essential period supplies like pads and tampons.

On a hot Thursday in late May, a freight truck pulled into Sylvia’s Sisters warehouse, where volunteers spent hours unloading and moving boxes of hygiene products.

The donation was four times larger than the period bank’s typical purchased supply and was made possible through the Alliance for Period Supplies.

“The need in Richmond is incredibly great,” said Brittany Averette, executive director of Sylvia’s Sisters. “This donation — in combination with the grants that we have already received — is going to allow us to take some of the menstruators off of our waitlist and to provide more products to more girls — keep more girls in school and more women working.”

Sylvia’s Sisters has been fighting “period poverty” since 2013 in Central Virginia and in Uganda — where the organization was founded. Averette said, on average, it serves about 20,000 people a year. Its waitlist represents another 17,000 it hasn’t been able to serve.

“‘Period poverty’ is a phrase not many people are familiar with,” Averette said. “What it basically means, at its core, is the inability for a menstruator to afford or to access period supplies.”

Averette is quick to point out she isn’t some sort of period expert, just someone who believes that menstrual health is a critical component of overall well-being.

“The outcome of period poverty for a woman or a girl can be catastrophic. It results in loss of class time, chronic absenteeism, a loss of income for a woman who’s not able to routinely go to work,” she said.

To gauge the need, Sylvia’s Sisters surveyed 500 public school students in Richmond and Chesterfield this year and found that 68% reported missing school because they didn’t have pads, tampons or other products to manage their bleeding.

“And it’s not just missing school, it’s engagement in PE class and sports after school. It’s feeling stressed when you’re sitting in class, if you’re worried about where your next pad is coming from,” Averette said.

While the organization successfully advocated for the inclusion of free period products in all public schools in 2020, Averette said compliance is spotty at best. The organization works with a number of in-school partners, including Communities in Schools, to get people the personal care products they need.

“They’re just as necessary as toilet paper. They should be in all school bathrooms and all public bathrooms. It’s an easy way to remove a barrier from female students and keep them in school, keep them fully engaged and keep them learning,” Averette said.

After unloading products from the freight truck, Stephanie Mardigian, a site coordinator for Communities in Schools of Chesterfield, told VPM News the impact of what Sylvia’s Sisters does is felt in classrooms.

“But these small things, like pads and liners and an extra pair of underwear or leggings, really goes a long way with some of our students,” Mardigian said.

Now, every month, Mardigian stocks the bathrooms and other accessible locations — like the nurse’s office or locker rooms — at L.C. Bird High School with period products provided by Sylvia’s Sisters.

“What these products do — they really just help give our students confidence to continue throughout their school day if they happen to have an accident of any sort,” Mardigian said.

For Averette, the stacked boxes in the warehouse represent more than just a record-breaking donation. It’s inspiration: “This feels like a small way that I can make an impact in that world.”

Over the coming weeks, the products will be separated into individual kits, bringing relief to thousands and helping close the gap for those still waiting for support. Those who need immediate help can visit one of 11 period product pick-up locations around Central Virginia.