“That time” is never any fun. But what do you do if you suffer from period poverty, meaning that you can’t afford products for menstruation?
High school senior Ryann Jordan learned about this issue from her sister, who’s an undergraduate at Cornell. Ryann researched the problem and learned that this impacted people in her community and around the world.
According to the Journal of Global Health Reports:
- “Two-thirds of the 16.9 million low-income women in the US could not afford menstrual products in the past year, with a half of this needing to choose between menstrual products and food.
- 14.2 % of college menstruating people in the US had experienced period poverty in the past year.”
“Typically, when thinking about basic needs like food and shelter, the aspect of hygiene is neglected,” says Ryann. “For people who menstruate, period products are a basic need, and if not properly addressed, health concerns could be a possible outcome.”
She decided to act, creating an organization called “For That Time.”
Ryann creates care packages with hygiene products for those who cannot afford them. She sources products with her own funds from her summer job, ordering supplies online or purchasing them in bulk from stores like Costco. Ryann individually assembles each packet along with an encouraging message to personalize it. “My hope is to get donations of period products so that I can continue my efforts and be able to donate a lot more,” she says.
Ryann has been contacting local shelters and sending these care packages to our Sanctuary clients.
Says Rachel Bleecker, our Executive Director for Residential Services, “At LSSNY, we pride ourselves on knowing that you must consider all parts of a person when attempting to understand them and properly provide support. Many low-income women and girls struggle to afford menstrual products and so we knew this was an important consideration for us to recognize and plan for in supporting the women and girls seeking asylum at our new Sanctuary facility, Fortitude House.”
Thank you, Ryann, for setting such a sterling example and for helping our program participants.
P.S. Follow “For That Time” on Instagram (@4thattime) to learn more and to make a donation.