In observance of Period Poverty Awareness Week (May 12-18) and Menstrual Hygiene Day (May 28), the Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership is launching an updated period supply drive toolkit.
Join us as we work to end period poverty in St. Mary’s County!
Period Poverty
In the United States, 1 in 4 women struggled to purchase period products within the past year due to lack of income*. In addition, 1 in 5 low-income women report missing work, school or similar events due to lack of access to period supplies*. We believe all menstruators have the right to feel comfortable and clean, during their cycles.
*Source: 2018 U by Kotex survey conducted with YouGov
The following tips and tools were created for local businesses, organizations, and community members who would like to make a difference by hosting a period product drive to benefit St. Mary’s County residents in need.
This toolkit includes:
- Period Supply Drive Ideas and Checklist
- Social Media Tips and Samples
- Period Poverty Fact Sheet
- Contact information for donation sites
- Goal Sheet
- Product Collection Form
- Supply Drive Flyer
- Draft emails for seeking donations or the distribution of supplies
Let’s Get Started!
How to Host a Period Product Drive
- Accessible Location: Gain the support of the community by making it convenient to donate! Ensuring that the location for the collection site is easily accessible will generate greater participation.
- Decide on a Time Frame: Plan to host your period supply drive for at least a week, or longer so people have enough time to donate. Perhaps you can partner with an already planned event!
- Get the Word Out: Announce your period supply drive through social media, press releases to local media, and post notices near the locations to donate! One of the best ways to advertise is word of mouth, so be sure to talk about the drive to anyone and everyone. Ask friends, family, colleagues, or neighbors to help out!
- Set Goals! How many donations would you like to raise? Develop a way to keep track of your progress to ensure you are meeting your goals.
Period Supply Drive Ideas
- Themes: Picking a theme can make your period supply drive standout! Themes can be simple as “Girls helping Girls”, Stuff a Bus, or more creative like a themed dinner dance for period supplies!
- Make it a competition: Make your period supply drive fun and engaging! Have a competition and offer small prizes or recognition for the team, class or office that brings in the most products amongst your organization’s employees, workgroups, etc. Friendly competition can help spread the word and increase turnout.
- Align your drive: Try to run drives around specific events or awareness days. This could be as simple as adding a period product drive to an existing event (just make sure to include this information in your advertising!)
Social Media Tips
Social media is a highly effective tool to reach a large amount of people in very little time. Take advantage of your online presence and notify as many people as possible to participate in your period supply drive.
Example of a social media graphic.
- Create a Facebook “Event” and invite all of those that follow the page. This is a great way to keep track of interest and to post updates on your collection status.
- Share your story (create posts with all the drive details or even film a Facebook Live).
- Create a shareable profile picture frame.
- Thank donors by giving them a shout out and tagging them in your posts.
- Upload plenty of photos and use the universal hashtag #EndPeriodPoverty or #AddPads in your posts.
X (Twitter)
- Tweet before, during, and after your fundraiser. Let your supporters know how planning is going, how close you are to your goal, and the results!
- Share a link to your Facebook event, or fundraising page where followers can learn more about your period supply drive and period poverty.
- Remember to include the hashtag #EndPeriodPoverty and any other relevant tags in your tweets!
- Share pictures of your period supply drive flyer.
- Utilize the location tagging tool to share your collection sites.
- Remember to hashtag #EndPeriodPoverty and any other relevant hashtags that may draw interest to your posts!
Get Personal: Send an Email!
Emails are an effective tool to utilize throughout your period supply drive. Personalize your message and go into detail on why you are hosting a period supply drive and would like the individual or company to participate. Explain what you are collecting, where, and of course, your goal.
An email that can be used to ask for Donations:
Dear _____________,
My name is [name], and I represent [organization]. I am reaching out today to inquire about your organization’s interest in participating in our Period Equity Initiative.
The Period Equity Initiative started to address accessibility concerns regarding period products, such as pads, tampons, menstrual cups, period underwear, etc. The initiative also hopes to provide advocacy and education surrounding menstruation so that women and girls can lead lives with dignity.
We want to inquire whether your organization would be interested in participating/contributing to this initiative in any capacity, whether providing monetary donations to purchase products, donating products, or getting involved with our workgroups to provide education and advocacy services. As your organizations are dedicated to servicing the community, we invite you to contribute to this meaningful initiative to ensure equitable health outcomes for all menstruating persons in St. Mary’s County.
Thank you for considering this collaboration opportunity. We are excited about the potential to advance public health initiatives together. Should you have any additional questions, comments, or concerns, we welcome the chance to discuss how we can create lasting change!
Your organization’s efforts to help those in need build a stronger, more equitable community. We truly appreciate the compassion and commitment that drives your work every day!
Warm regards,
[your name here]
Social Media Graphics
Sharing graphics is a great way to engage viewers while getting your message across. Try using our social media templates or making your own. Consider including:
- Statistics from reputable sources, like the Alliance of Period Supplies
- Engaging images
- Equitable language
- Where people can donate
- What products are you accepting (Ex. Some locations will not accept OTC pain medication, some may only be looking for disposable products instead of reusable products, and some may only accept unopened boxes, while others may be able to utilize ‘loose’ products)
You can also use social media graphics from the Alliance for Period Supplies here.
Social Media Sample Posts/Captions
Social Posts
Use these graphics for social posts to spread information on period poverty. You can customize by adding your logo.
- I believe everyone has the right to feel comfortable and clean. Please show support by donating to my period supply drive! (insert graphic with details on period supply drive)
- Did you know 2 in 5 people with periods have struggled with #periodpoverty? Please donate to our period supply drive to help change that.
- Small things impact big things. That is why we’re holding a period supply drive. Please consider giving today (add time + location details)
- Lack of period products is a hidden consequence of poverty. Help us reach our goal today and donate to our period supply drive! Every bit counts.
- Help make a difference in an individual’s life today. Donate to our period supply drive that will be taking place in (location)
- #PeriodPoverty Fact: School aged girls cannot participate in educational activities without access to fundamental resources. Please consider donating to our period supply drive!
- Did you know that individuals require an average of 6 period products per day, and period supplies aren’t covered by safety net programs? #EndPeriodPoverty (insert drive flyer)
Period Supply Drive Checklist
- Recruit Volunteers, if possible: ask friends, family, colleagues, or neighbors to help out!
- Set Your Goals! Think about how many donations you would like to raise. It may also help to develop a way to track your progress. (Use the goal chart, which can be found in the “Additional Resources Section”!)
- Spread the Word: Announce your period supply drive via social media, emails, local news outlets, and notices throughout your community. Be active before AND during the drive!
- Collect and Deliver: Rally the volunteers and deliver your donated period products to the health department. Don’t forget to take photos – you’ll need them later!
- Decide on your theme: Whether it’s a themed party, a competition, or a simple period supply drive in your office, choose what works for you!
- Share your results: Post pictures on social media and let everyone know your results! Don’t forget to thank donors and volunteers too!
Contact Information for St. Mary’s County, Maryland
Food pantries may also be interested in accepting donations. For a list of food pantries in the county, please visit this link.
| Organization | Contact Name | Contact Phone Number | Contact Email Address |
| St. Mary’s County Libraries | Elizabeth Davis | 301-475-2846 | edavis@stmalib.org |
| Department of Social Services | Holly Chaconas | 443-615-4916 | holly.chaconas@maryland.gov |
| St. Mary’s County Schools | Tammy Metclaf | 301-475-5511 Ext. 32150 | tbmetclaf@smcps.org |
| St. Mary’s College of Maryland | Jess Jolly | 240-895-2159 | jljolly@smcm.edu |
| The Health Hub | Chris Shea | 240-956-8886 | Christopher.shea@maryland.gov |
An email that can be used to ask an organization if they would like to receive donations:
Dear _______,
My name is [name], and I represent [organization]. I am reaching out today to inquire about your organization’s interest in receiving free menstrual products to distribute to the community members you serve.
The Period Equity Initiative started to address accessibility concerns regarding period products, such as pads, tampons, menstrual cups, period underwear, etc. The initiative also hopes to provide advocacy and education surrounding menstruation so that women and girls can lead lives with dignity.
Our organization recently completed a donation drive for menstrual products and has collected [number of each type of product (pads, tampons, etc.)]. We have products to share, and would love to provide you all with some of these products to those you serve who may need them!
If interested, please let us know what products your organization could use and when we can schedule a date and time to drop off these products.
Your organization’s efforts to help those in need build a stronger, more equitable community. We truly appreciate the compassion and commitment that drive your work every day!
Warm regards,
[your name here]
Keep in mind
- Some organizations, like libraries, will allow you to drop off products at one location, and they can distribute them among the other locations
- Products take up a lot of space! Before the drive is over, it is a good idea to have a game plan for where the products will go.
- It can be helpful to know where they are going before you start the drive, because you can ask for more specific products (such as teen sizes if they are going to schools)
- Remember to take pictures of the products you collected! Try posting a thank-you on social media with photos of the donated products. Remember to obtain the consent of anyone in the photos before you post them.
Data Tracking
In an effort to ensure products are evenly distributed among the county, please fill out the form below, which asks which organization collected products, which organization received products, how many products were collected, and what types were collected. Responses will appear below. Please view the responses of others before deciding where to distribute.
Additional Resources
Goal Sheet
Product Collection Form
Supply Drive Flyer
Questions or Concerns?
We’re here to help! If you have any questions about running a drive, you can reach out to the Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership at stmaryspartnership@gmail.com
We would like to thank and credit the Alliance for Period Supplies for providing us with the verbiage for our toolkit, in addition to the goal sheet, product collection form, fact sheet, and the supply drive flyer. We appreciate and admire your dedication to serving communities affected by period poverty.
