To celebrate Women's History Month, The Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project and On the Spot have joined forces to ensure that women and girls in the area have access to feminine care products they may not otherwise be able to afford.
"It's something that isn't frequently discussed, but it does affect a lot of low-income families, women and their daughters," said Sue Kerr, co-chair of the Tote Bag Project.
During March, the organizations are collecting menstrual supplies along with tote bags, to make them available at food banks and schools.
"While most of us take for granted our ability to go pick up a box of something we need, it's not true when someone is down to their last few dollars," said Kerr, "and these items are not covered by food stamps, so we're trying to increase the supply available at food pantries."
On the Spot focuses on school districts, distributing supplies that are generally given by school health centers, they currently supply about 68 schools, according to their website. Kerr said the push to get more feminine product donations is also a way to get more people thinking about a need that is not generally in the forefront of peoples' minds.
"That taboo, or stigma, is very real, I think that's why it's important, especially for women, to understand the need, then reach out to other women and to girls and offer supplies, what we're doing is offering it in a dignified manner," said Kerr.
The Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project collects new and gently used tote bags, which they pass on to the food bank. The overall goal is to help people who use the food pantry find a better way to transport their food, and reduce dependency on plastic shopping bags.
A list of drop off locations for products can be found at each group's website.