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The Period Product Initiative

 

 

 

  • Provide period products to food pantries   

  • Raise Awareness and remove the stigma of discussing menstruation needs 

  • Engage in efforts to end period poverty     

Suffern Rotary’s Period Product Initiative (PPI) began a period product drive in 2022 with a mission to provide period products to females experiencing food insecurity and served at our local food pantry, The Sloatsburg Food Pantry (SFP) in Suffern, NY.  This happened when we learned that:   

  • these period products are not covered by public assistance programs 

  • females who lack these products often miss school or work 

  • females with inadequate access to these products encounter health issues and setbacks that impact their daily lives 

  • these products can cost up to $8k or more in their lifetime 

  • some must choose between putting food on the table or purchasing period products 

Suffern Rotarians could not ignore these issues.  We began by participating in the Rockland Women’s Distance Festival, to raise funds and collect period products for the (SFP). Since, we have supplied the SFP with period products consistently and periodically provide educational materials on menstrual hygiene. We continue our collaboration with the Rockland Women’s Distance Festival and have partnered with our local hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital-Bon Secours Charity Health Systems, to raise awareness on the issue of period poverty and collect period products for our community’s food pantry. We’ve engaged our local school district, some local houses of worship and continue to highlight the issue of period poverty to encourage everyone to make period products available at every bathroom used by females. 

 

PPI has received financial support from local businesses, private donors and grants. Our largest financial support has come from the Palisades Federal Credit Union. In 2024 PPI was awarded “Project of the Year Award” at Rotary’s District 7210 end of the year Gala. Our Club President, Evelyn Oberkircher, has presented this initiative to other Rockland County Rotary Presidents and has received great feedback. There is an interest in clubs coming together to highlight this issue on a countywide level so that these products are made available to other food pantries in Rockland County. We also hope to inspire other Rotary Clubs across the country with hopes that they too embrace this initiative.  

 

New York has made some progress by requiring that these products be available in public schools, and it does not tax these items, while currently 20 other states continue to tax these as luxury items. NYS has current legislative proposals that seek to have these products available in public and private bathrooms and another bill that seeks to include a stipend in public assistance programs to cover some of the costs of these products. These proposed bills have not been approved and there is still a lot of work to be done on this front.  The United Way of Rockland County is looking to partner with us by securing donations of period products for food pantries in our county and a storage facility to house and distribute them.    

For more information email: suffernrotaryppi@gmail.com

We invite you to partner with us by donating: 

  • by check to the Suffern Community Fund, PO BOX 103, Suffern, NY 10901 (and indicate PPI in memo), or  

  • using this QR code:                                                                                                                                                                                

 

  

 

 

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