‘Ladies Helping Ladies’ Owensboro Women Host Donate Dignity Drive

At the beginning of the month, my friend Maria Kelly told me she was working on a project. After learning that there are women and girls in our community who cannot afford necessary hygiene items, she had to do something about it. "I never knew. I never thought about it. I never even imagined a woman not having what she needs for some reason."

Sadly, it is a fact that there are girls who have to go without pads or tampons until they get to their school resource center. There are women pinching pennies on a fixed income who have to figure out a makeshift option unless they sacrifice another necessity to afford to buy them from the store. Like Maria explained this morning on the air, this is unacceptable.

There have been studies done on "Period Poverty" that affects millions of women across the world. The United Nations shares, "In the United States of America, 1 in 4 teens and 1 in 3 adults struggle to afford period products, especially teens of colour and lower-income households."

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If you read more of the UN article, you'll learn how Period Poverty can harm one's mental health as well as their physical health. Having to improvise with toilet paper or make supplies last longer can cause infection and lead to serious issues. Not to mention the stress or anxiety that comes from worrying whether you'll make a mess.

Honestly, part of the problem is the stigma that still exists regarding this perfectly natural bodily function. Let me just tell you from experience that it can be really embarrassing and uncomfortable to not have the proper products to deal with your monthly cycle. We've all been stuck out in public without a tampon or pad, but most of us can stop by and grab some on the way home.

We know there are food banks in Owensboro where folks can get help, places that assist with utility bills, even groups that provide opportunities for doing laundry for free, but this specific need is not often met. Maria said, "This breaks my heart, so I had to be Someone who didn’t just talk about it anymore."

So, Maria gathered her friends Lisa, Tammy, and Debbie to form 'We Are She, She is Me.' They aren't an official non-profit and don't plan to be. They are just "ladies helping ladies," and they have planned a local Donate Dignity Drive to collect hygiene products. Here is what you need to know: