Women in Need Deserve Bras and Period Products: Here’s How to Help

Homeless women often have to make an unnecessary decision when in need of menstrual products or undergarments — “Should I prioritize my hygiene or buy myself dinner today?”

When people donate to local homeless shelters, they often forget that women need undergarments and menstrual products because the shelters aren’t required to provide them. The same is true for local jails.  This leaves many homeless and incarcerated women in need of these essential items. This is something Hers and its partners aim to change.

“Our aim is to take care of women who are unable to get what they need to take care of themselves in a basic way,” said Hers editor Annette Johnson. “Helping these women has long been a personal passion of mine because if this was a male issue, it would be a nonissue. They would be supplied with what their bodies required.”

This holiday season, Hers Magazine is taking donations for women in prisons and shelters who lack the basic necessity of undergarments and menstrual products. In partnership with Allwrite Community Partners’ “Bras and Books” initiative, we will be collecting new bras, underwear, socks,  menstrual products, and inspirational books to donate to women in local Atlanta homeless shelters and jails.

Classy Living Society has joined the effort and using its volunteers to gather items throughout the week and during special community events. “We plan to get volunteers to make this something that no women facing incarceration or poverty should have to worry about this holiday season,” said LaShanda Pitts, CEO and founder.

In an attempt to extend this movement’s mindset, Hers has also joined the efforts of PERIOD.org, the largest youth-run women’s health non-profit in the world. It hosted National Period Day on October 19th, 2019, with 61 rallies in all 50 states and 5 countries demanding an end to period poverty and period stigma. Sign their online petition in support of efforts to lobby Congress for the repeal of the tampon tax and in support of other menstrual equity bills.

For our part, we will be accepting items in person on Saturday, November 30, 2019 from 9 a.m. to noon and all day on December 3rd for Giving Tuesday.  Donations can be brought to the Allwrite offices at 3300 Buckeye Road, Suite 264, Atlanta, Ga, 30341.

If you’re interested in donating money, as little a $5, for us to buy these supplies rather than giving a physical donation, click here. This is a tax deductible donation.

Also keep in mind, jails will only accept white undergarments (bras and panties) and pads.

You can also support the movement by sharing the “Bras and Books” graphic on social media using the hashtags #BrasAndBooks and #PeriodNeeds.