Labor Campaign Provides Period Products To 2,000 Women

A Rhode Island labor union fundraiser collected more than 50,000 menstrual products for disadvantaged women across the state. The Rhode Island Coalition of Labor Union Women partnered with the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals and Teamsters Local 251 for the Help A Sister Out, Period campaign, which will provide menstrual products to 2,000 women and girls through South County's Johnnycake Center.

"Every day, girls and women in Rhode Island miss days of school and work because they can’t afford the menstrual products they need," Maureen Martin, head of the RICLUW, said in a release. "Access to period products and supplies is a matter of personal dignity and it’s a genuine health concern."

The project's GoFundMe campaign raised $1,155, enough to provide the 2,000 women a month's worth of period products.

The Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale's CEO, Kate Brewster, said poverty affects people's quality of life in a variety of ways, and people often take essentials like period products for granted.

"Poverty comes in many different forms and sometimes we don’t realize how people are affected by it," Brewster said. "For working women and women in poverty, the inability to access menstrual products when they need them can marginalize them and put them at risk for some serious health concerns."

The campaign focuses on providing dignity, safety and empowerment to women by breaking the stigma surrounding period products and ensuring everyone has access to the healthcare products they need.

"No one should feel burdened by their period – they should feel empowered," the GoFundMe campaign read. "It’s time to smash the taboo and advocate for each other about periods and the menstrual cycle."

Note: GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.