Help us break the cycle of period poverty by donating tampons, pantyliners, pads, leggings, and underwear at any VPFW location through May 31.
This past year, 1 in 4 menstruating students in the U.S. missed school because they didn’t have period supplies. For students and adults who don’t have access to period products, getting your period can mean huge setbacks in life: not only missing school, but also work and other outings.
There is currently no federal aid program that can be used to purchase period products. Luckily, we have a wonderful local organization called Sylvia’s Sisters, which distributes period products to communities in need. These include Communities in Schools of Richmond (CIS of Richmond), CIS of Chesterfield, and CIS of Petersburg, that help keep menstruating students in school and on track for graduation.
A lack of access to period supplies can affect physical and mental health. Learn how you can help by donating to VPFW’s period supplies drive for Sylvia’s Sisters through May 31, 2024. We are collecting items at all 6 VPFW locations.
VPFW Period Supplies Drive
“Everyone deserves access to clean, affordable menstrual products!” says Dr. Lincoln. This spring, VPFW is working with Sylvia’s Sisters to help break the cycle of period poverty with our period supplies drive.
The drive will help Sylvia’s Sisters provide period supplies to local teens in low-income areas as well as women in rural Uganda, to help prevent them from having to miss work or school due to a lack of access to quality period products.
How to Donate
VPFW is collecting period supplies at each of our locations through May 31, 2024. Drop off supplies at the front desk of a VPFW location near you or donate online at sylviassisters.org.
What to Donate
Tampons and panty liners are currently the greatest need for Sylvia’s Sisters. However, they have assured us that any and all period products are helpful and will be given to menstruators in need. *Open packages are fine, but all supplies should be individually wrapped.
- Tampons (any size/absorbency)*
- Liners (individually wrapped only)*
- Thin Maxi Pads
- Regular Maxi Pads
- Long Maxi Pads
- Nighttime Maxi Pads
- Leggings (Youth XS-XL and Adult XS-XL)
- Underwear (Youth XS-XL and Adult XS-XL)
*Greatest need
Why Access to Period Products Matters
VPFW knows how important it is for teens to have access to the period supplies they need each and every month.
“Lack of access to affordable menstrual products (pads, tampons, menstrual cups, etc.) can negatively impact both physical and mental health,” says Dr. Maggie Lincoln, OB/GYN at VPFW. Dr. Lincoln notes that reusing pads or having to resort to using toilet paper, rags, and/or paper towels can not only lead to acute vaginal, vulvar, and urinary infections, but it can also cause increased stress and anxiety. “That anxiety may evolve into (or at least contribute to) chronic mental health issues.”
According to Sylvia’s Sisters, aside from resulting health problems, the ramifications of period poverty include lower graduation rates, earlier marriage, and loss of income or job.
Dr. Lincoln’s 2023 Focus Richmond Interview
Hear Dr. Lincoln’s full 2023 interview with K95’s Lori Kelly on Focus Richmond to learn more about menstrual health and hygiene, adolescent gynecology, and how you can help VPFW and Sylvia’s Sisters fight period poverty.
Let’s Talk Periods
As part of our partnership, VPFW nurse practitioner Lauren Cook helped create content for Sylvia’s Sisters’ learning portal: Let’s Talk Periods. We hope you’ll check out everything teens and pre-teens could ever want to know about their menstrual cycles and how to manage them – from what physical and emotional changes to expect to all the different types of period supplies (and how often to change them!). Please share with a teen in your life who could use this information!
About Sylvia’s Sisters
Sylvia’s Sisters’ mission is to provide quality period products to menstruators, both locally and abroad, so they can thrive at home, school, and work without the added stress of healthfully managing their menstrual cycle every month.
Your donations help Sylvia’s Sisters put quality period products into the hands of those who need them in the Richmond region as well as rural Uganda, ensuring that no one has to miss a day of school or work because of a lack of period supplies.
Learn more about Sylvia’s Sisters or donate online.
To schedule an appointment with a VPFW provider, you can call us at 804-897-2100 or set an appointment online. Learn more about adolescent gynecology at VPFW, when teens should have their first visit with a gynecologist, and what to expect.