Kate Winston 
Ending period poverty is no easy feat, but there have been considerable strides made, especially in New Jersey, in recent years. While half the population menstruates, many people are still unable to get the products they need. Menstrual hygiene should not be a luxury, but a necessity. People often miss work, school, or risk their health because they cannot access period products. This week is Period Poverty Awareness Week, which was created to draw attention to the inequity that people who menstruate face in their daily lives. Keep reading to learn about the history of period poverty, how New Jersey is leading the fight to end it, and how to help.
The Flow Initiative + History
The Flow Initiative, a Jersey City-based organization, fights to achieve menstrual equity for people who menstruate. This group is just one example showing that New Jersey is leading the way in achieving this equity. The stats surrounding period poverty and access to period supplies were shocking to Jersey City resident Eiko La Boria, prompting her to found The Flow Initiative.
Read More: A Guide to Resident Resources in Hoboken, New Jersey
Eiko La Boria started The Flow Initiative upon learning that period poverty is not just an issue in developing countries, but right here in the United States. Her mission is to achieve menstrual equity through access to period products in a world where there is no shame or stigma surrounding period poverty. According to the organization’s website, “To date, The Flow Initiative has passed seven menstrual health bills, educated 40,000 students on menstruation and period poverty, and distributed 1.8 million menstrual health products worldwide.”
In 2023, The Flow Initiative achieved a huge advocacy milestone with the passage of Bill A1349, which requires New Jersey schools to provide free menstrual products to students. A second bill that The Flow Initiative helped champion, A3211, passed just a few months later, making feminine hygiene and sanitation products available in NJ shelters.
Some other bills passed granting access to period products:
- Bill A3737 (2024) launches a statewide menstrual health education campaign aimed at educating and reducing the stigma surrounding the conversation of menstruation.
- Bill AR61 (2023) urges federal inclusion of menstrual products in Medicaid, SNAP, and WIC.
Period Supply Drives
In 2020, The Hoboken Girl partnered with The Flow Initiative to work on Project Local Access, a drive to collect and distribute period supplies to those in need and the community at large. In addition to events like this, there have been drop-off locations at various businesses throughout Hoboken and Jersey City in the past, later collected and dispersed by The Flow Initiative.
Since then, the project has collected tens of thousands of supplies through drives each year. Leading up to Period Action Day in October, The Hoboken Girl organizes and runs a drive to collect various period supplies, like pads, tampons, panty liners, etc, whilst partnering with local businesses to disperse them. People can buy period supplies and drop them off at these sanctioned locations throughout Hoboken and Jersey City.
There is also an Amazon wishlist for those who are unable to donate in person. In the past, at the end of the drive, The Hoboken Girl has hosted a happy hour where people can bring and donate any final supplies. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds from food and drinks has gone towards these efforts. Over the last five years, over 30,000 supplies on average have been collected each year in collaboration with The Hoboken Girl team.
Period Poverty Awareness
Although period poverty awareness deserves more than a day, week, or even a month, the month of May and this week are especially important. While people can get involved at any point, this month, and specifically this week, highlights the importance of raising awareness surrounding period poverty. This month is Menstrual Health Awareness Month, aimed to bring light to the issues surrounding menstrual inequity, educate people about it, and advocate for the policies and legislation that support its equity.
This week, specifically, is period poverty awareness week, highlighting the importance of having access to period products. Menstrual hygiene is not just about comfort, but also about reducing health risks and improving people’s everyday lives.
Period Action Day, which occurs on October 12th, is a global day of advocacy that celebrates the impacts activists have made, while also calling on people to take action in the movement. Each Period Action Day, The Flow Initiative and the HG team have collaborated to take a stand and make a powerful statement with the period product drives. The goals of these awareness events are to eradicate stigma and shame surrounding period poverty, to increase education and work attendance, reduce health risks, and create an overall more inclusive Hoboken community.
See More: Fertility Resources in Essex County, New Jersey
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