Menstrual Health Awareness Week In Action

"Sustainable Living Project" Pantry

"My Shade & Texture" Pantry

Every day, around 800 million people worldwide menstruate, yet 500 million lack access to the essential products and facilities they need to manage their periods safely and with dignity. That is period poverty - a crisis that forces individuals to choose between basic necessities and menstrual health.

Menstrual Health Awareness Week (also known as Period Poverty Awareness Week - PPAW), is observed annually in May and culminates in Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28^th. MHA Week shines a spotlight on this global issue and mobilizes communities to take action. For too long, menstruation has been stigmatized and silenced, preventing those in need from seeking help and breaking the cycles of inequality. By bringing these conversations into the open, awareness campaigns like MHA Week help cause meaningful change and support the millions experiencing period poverty.

Our Community Action

This year, our organization decided to take action in our community and create a real impact. We committed to addressing period poverty right here in Tampa Bay by partnering with the Tampa

Period Pantry to provide underserved individuals in the Tampa Bay area access to essential menstrual products.

To collect donations, we created drop-off boxes at key locations and created an Amazon Wishlist link to make it easy for supporters to contribute throughout the week. The response from our community exceeded our expectations, showing the support that our community can provide for this cause.

Our Impact

The results of our week-long drive were amazing! We successfully restocked two pantries with enough products to serve dozens of individuals.

Pantry One:

• 140+ tampons

• 95+ pantyliners

Pantry Two:

• 90+ tampons

• 115+ pads

Apart from the numbers, our drive fostered awareness within our local network. Awareness is just as important, if not more, than action as it allows more people to learn about the issue, creating a growing community of supporters who can help the cause.

Looking Forward

This initiative represents just the beginning of our commitment to menstrual equity. The enthusiasm from our community and the clear need, demonstrated by how quickly pantries were restocked, confirms that regular drives will be essential and beneficial. We're already planning our next collection campaign and exploring partnerships with schools and community centers to expand our impact.

The success of our Menstrual Health Awareness Week project proves that addressing period poverty doesn't require massive resources - just consistent commitment and community engagement. By transforming awareness into action, we're contributing to a future where access to menstrual products is a given, not a privilege.