Period Kits MN Addresses ‘Unspoken Need’
Period Kits MN is working to bring critical menstrual products to those who need them. The Minnesota nonprofit partnered with CEAP in Brooklyn Center to do just that.
During the holiday season, CEAP buzzes with volunteers. Katy Briggs recognizes the need year-round.
“Really focusing on different programs that address basic needs, whether that be food, housing, those kinds of things,” said Briggs, CEAP’s associate director of advancement. “CEAP’s mission is to nourish neighbors in mind, body and spirit. And we know, being nourished is about so much more than being fed.”
Briggs says sanitary products are commonly requested items at their food market.
“Anyone who menstruates knows how uncomfortable it is to not have access to the products you need,” Briggs said. “Access to products like pads and tampons is a really important part of feeling healthy and cared for. They are in really high demand.”
Health and Dignity
Donations directly to CEAP meet some of that need, but even then there are gaps to fill. That’s where Period Kits MN came in.
“This is a basic need. It is a basic need like toilet paper, toothpaste,” said Period Kits MN Executive Director Brandon Biernat. “Oftentimes, it’s overlooked and forgotten.”
The Alliance for Period Supplies reports that one in four teenagers in the United States have missed class due to a lack of access to period supplies. Across the United States, two in five women struggle to buy products because of a lack of income.
“A lot of times, we’ve found out that people don’t want to talk about their period or menstruation so it might get overlooked,” Biernat said. “They might not want to bring it up.”
Biernat brought several boxes of kits and supplies in to CEAP on Monday morning. Each kit, sealed in a red bag with a sticker, contains a month’s supply of period products. That includes pads, tampons and flushable wipes.
The kits, pictured here, are often delivered in boxes of 20.
In most cases, volunteers pre-assemble the kits.
“If we can supply this, then they can allocate other resources to their other needs. Food, housing, et cetera,” Biernat said.
You can get involved with Period Kits MN’s mission by donating time or supplies. More details can be found on its website.
More information about CEAP and its programs for the community are available on its website as well
