When it comes to basic needs, food, clothes and shelter top the list. But what about the large portion of the population who can’t afford hygiene products when it’s that time of the month?
According to the Lowcountry Period Pixies website, over 78% of students report that they do not have the necessary items to get through their menstrual cycle regularly. For many women experiencing period poverty, menstruation is the main reason why they miss work or school.
Not only that, but the lack of basic period necessities is debilitating, embarrassing and stigmatizing. The lack of access to proper period products is an issue that hasn’t been broached as much as the lack of food, clothing or even diapers. While menstrual hygiene is a necessity, the products are not covered by government programs like WIC, SNAP or Medicaid.
Sadly, a lack of access to proper period products leads women to seek other means of menstrual protection, including shoe soles, paper, old clothes, or anything that can serve as a makeshift maxi pad.
In order to address this issue, nonprofit organizations across the country give donations to those experiencing period poverty. In the Charleston area, the Lowcountry Period Pixies was founded in 2016, out of the organization The Homeless Period Project, which was based on a similar project happening in Australia. A teacher in the area, Melissa Soule, started Lowcountry Period Pixies due to the inequity she saw in schools with many young teens experiencing period poverty.
Soule said, “What began as a grassroots effort to collect and distribute products has grown into a community-wide movement focused on dignity, access and education. Period poverty exists right here in our community. Once we understood the scope of the need, we knew we had to act.”
Volunteers come together to assemble period packs filled with essential menstrual products for the Lowcountry Period Pixies.
By addressing period poverty, Period Pixies promotes health equity, educational success, workplace participation and basic human dignity. “However, the real change isn’t just in the number of products distributed — it’s in the conversations we’ve normalized and the stigma we’ve reduced,” Soule said.
• Continuous Period Equity Wire
Curator’s Note & Original Source
Love Her Period Foundation curates and republishes verified reports, policy milestones, and field updates to elevate national awareness and community action. Read the full investigation and verified reporting directly on the original publisher’s platform.
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Period poverty affects 1 in 4 students and unhoused individuals across the Pacific Northwest. Help us distribute 100% certified organic hygiene care kits directly to schools, shelters, and community hubs.
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