Starting August 2021, we've teamed up with the nonprofit No More Secrets. Each time you purchase a jar of Semaine PMS & Period Support, we'll donate a jar to No More Secrets' The SPOT Period so that all people with periods can have access to period relief.
Just like the heroes at No More Secrets, we believe in wellness for everyone, not just the lucky few.
Run by the amazing and tireless mother and daughter team Lynette Medley and Nya McGlone, No More Secrets works to end period poverty and the stigma against periods. Over the past year alone, they have distributed more than 4 million period products to those who would otherwise have to go without.
Below Lynette and Nya share more about their nonprofit work:
The SPOT Period
In February 2021, No More Secrets opened the first menstrual hub in the country in Germantown, PA.
The "SPOT"(Safety, Programing, Optimal Transformation) is equipped with offices, a reception area, computer room, storage space for menstrual supplies and a "Breonna Taylor" Safe room—a space to escape the dangers of the world experienced by so many marginalized women and girls. This room provides comfort and acceptance so they can show their vulnerability, allowing for authentic conversations and open-flow information sharing. The room has become the epicenter of educational seminars and panel discussions around normalizing menstrual cycles, health and hygiene, uterine care, proper usage of sustainable options such as menstrual cups, healthcare resources as well as life skills on budgeting and nutrition.
What is Period Poverty?
Period poverty is the lack of access or ability to afford menstrual care products and can be exacerbated by the lack of access to running water, toilets, and waste management services.
Those who live in period poverty often:
- Miss school, work, or job interviews.
- Use objects such as rags, construction paper, and socks in place of menstrual care products which can lead to health issues like UTIs, bacterial vaginosis, and skin irritation.
- Have to make the choice between buying food, paying for utilities, and buying menstrual products.
- Suffer from high levels of anxiety, depression, and distress.
How Can You Help?
- Normalize the menstrual cycle: Raising awareness about the menstrual cycle as a normal and natural part of life and decreasing stigma is the first step in ending period poverty.
- Advocate, advocate, advocate! Urge your representatives to pass bills that include menstrual products as part of Medicaid and SNAP benefits.
- Donate to organizations like No More Secrets and The SPOT Period.
- Post about the #BlackGirlsBleed campaign.
