Charity goes nationwide to fight ‘period poverty’
Dignity Grows sends free hygiene tote bags to those in need
Jessica Zachs of West Hartford founded Dignity Grows almost two years ago to help those experiencing “period poverty” in the Hartford area. Since then, Dignity Grows has grown, to 16 chapters nationwide, with 22 more coming soon. Volunteers in these chapters distribute thousands of free hygiene tote bags to adults and teens whose budgets are stretched too thin to make room for sanitary pads.
The need has heightened as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which saw many jobs lost and many families’ incomes take a nosedive.
When money is tight, paying for rent and food takes priority over buying menstrual products. So what are people who need those pads and panty liners supposed to do?
Jahnyah Lumpkin of Hartford is one of those people. The Hartford 15-year-old has received two of the Dignity Grows tote bags through her participation in the Charter Oak Boxing Academy (COBA) in Hartford, which is as much a youth mentoring hub as it is a sports facility.
“Me and some of the girls get them. Those things can be expensive, especially the hygienic products for women,” Lumpkin said. “When the Dignity Grows bags came around, it was huge. We all thought, this is so great. They came right on time.”
The bags contain soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hand wipes and a full months’ supply of maxi pads and panty liners in a zipper-top reusable tote.
“The stuff in there is not just small, little portions of items. It’s long-lasting,” Lumpkin said.
In recent months, Zachs has diversified her handouts to include totes for those who don’t have periods. In place of maxi pads and panty liners, bags include shaving cream and disposable razors. They are appreciated.
“Our young men are asking for them more than our young ladies. I think it’s a great thing. There is just a huge need,” said Johnny Callas, who coaches the COBA programs and oversees the tote bag handouts.
Zachs has been involved in philanthropy through the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford
for decades. She began her period project in 2018 when watching an Oscar-winning short documentary, “Period. End of Sentence,” about period poverty in India.
“It just really hit me. I went straight over to the computer and googled ‘period poverty in America,’ ” she said. “This was pre-COVID. I learned that one in five American women, girls and those assigned female at birth could not afford menstrual products. I was blown away.
“Not having menstrual products meant a loss of school time, work, wages,” she said. “It creates a cycle of poverty and mental health issues,” she said. “So I went to the federation and said, I have an idea.”
Jennifer Schwartzmann, director of community connections at JFGH, thought giving away free menstrual product tote bags was a great idea for a one-time program. It became more than that.
“Women in our community wanted to roll up our sleeves and do something hands-on,” Schwartzmann said. “But they found that this opportunity went far past one occasion. Period poverty is a concern month after
month. It became an opportunity to impact the community month after month.”
Zachs and the federation have worked hand-in-hand on Dignity Grow ever since. They create connections with buying partners to sell them the products at advantageous prices and distribution partners in the community who hand out the bags to anyone who asks for one.
“I’ve never done anything that has moved me more. The thought
that people don’t have soap keeps me up at night,” Zachs said. A few months into the project, Dignity Grows became a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
The expansion of Dignity Grows throughout Connecticut — there are now branches in Greenwich, Stamford and New Haven — and outside of the state has been facilitated by Jewish community centers.
“We feel that this project embodies the values of this federation, to ensure that there is a social
safety net for the Jewish community and the community at large,” Schwartzmann said.
Attempts to address the issue of period poverty on a statewide legislative level have not been successful. A bill introduced in the state Senate in 2019, to provide free menstrual products in middle and high schools bathrooms, died in committee. Zachs, however, looks at the bright side of Connecticut’s efforts.
“We don’t have the pink tax in Connecticut, the tax on feminine hygiene products. Only 19 states don’t have the pink tax. We are considered one of the most progressive states,” she said.
The Dignity Grows project had one major hiccup, at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. That stumble, however, turned out to the project’s advantage.
“We started out putting tampons in the totes. A lot of them are made in China. When COVID began, our purchasing partner, who is based in Phoenix, said they couldn’t get tampons,” Zachs said. “So we added panty liners instead. We found out in very short order from our distribution partners that women were much happier not getting tampons.
“A lot of the groups we serve do not use tampons, for religious or
cultural reasons,” she said. “We thought we were going to disappoint them, but it turned out to be serendipitous.”
Zachs emphasized that the tote bags benefit both the recipients’ hygienic health and mental health. “A lot of our recipients are homeless or have mental illness. This is something for them to own, to take care of themselves,” Zachs said.
Janice Hartnett, an OB-GYN affiliated with Hartford Hospital, agrees, saying period poverty can be emotionally overwhelming. “The negative effects on someone’s dignity and self-esteem can be devastating and have a significant ripple effect into all aspects of her life,” Hartnett said.
Zachs said every $10 donation pays for one tote bag full of products. Those who want to contribute can donate to the JFGH ( jewishhartford.org/support-donate, 860-727-6120 or dwilbur@ jewishhartford.org) specifying the donation go to Dignity Grows. Donations also can be made at dignitygrows.org/donate. Those who want to volunteer to help assemble the tote bags can visit dignitygrows.org/volunteer.