November is the start of our "Flowvember" Collection Drive!
Legacy Skates will be partnering with The Strawberry Week Society to collect menstrual products in efforts to fight period poverty in our community throughout the month of November.
Strawberry Week is the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves Kansas and Missouri whose mission is 100% focused on addressing period poverty by improving accessibility to menstrual products to both underserved populations and the general public.
What is Period Poverty you ask? Period Poverty is the lack of access to essential hygiene products used to manage a menstrual cycle such as tampons, pads, and liners. Various obstacles prevent a significant population of menstruators of all ages from being able to access period products on a reliable basis, including unfair tax rates and stigma surrounding the topic of menstruation. Period poverty affects nearly a quarter of all students (up from 1 in 5 in 2019), with lower income students and students of color being particularly affected. This can have a significant impact on a student’s education if they consistently miss school due to their period.
Furthermore, not all women menstruate, and not all menstruators are women. Many of our trans and non-binary community members are often left out of the conversation surrounding period poverty while they face additional significant barriers to safely accessing period products. This is another reason why period products should be available in ALL restrooms, not just the women-labeled restrooms.
Large manufacturers of tampons and pads opt for less expensive methods of production, leaving harmful ingredients in their products that cause illnesses such as TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome), a life-threatening condition caused by a release of toxins via bacteria in the body. Although there are safer, 100% cotton options available in the market, they come with a hefty price tag. This leaves the lower income population once again susceptible to higher risks due to the lack of affordability of toxin-free period products.
Reusable menstrual cups, pads, and underwear are an investment initially that become much more economical than single-use period products in the long-run. They are also toxin-free and eliminate the risk of illnesses such as TSS. Additionally, single-use period products contain plastics and packaging that contribute to over 200,000 metric tons of waste annually. By opting for a reusable menstrual management method, a menstruator can keep hundreds of pounds of plastics and waste out of landfills over their lifetime. Together, with your support, we can break the cycle of period poverty for generations to come.
Legacy Skates is proud to be a drop off location for menstrual products of all kinds! Have an opened pack of tampons at home? We accept open boxes as long as the period supplies inside are individually wrapped!
If you're unable to donate physical products, you can always make a one time or monthly donation at:
https://www.strawberryweek.org/donate
Just $10 covers the cost of a period pack!