• 1 in 10 women experience period poverty. These women are more likely to experience depression or even suicide. 1 in 5 black women say that they cannot afford menstrual products.
• One 2019 study found nearly 2 out of every 3 low-income U.S. women struggled to pay for basic period products; in another survey, 25 percent of teenagers say they have missed class because they could not afford pads or tampons. Unlike other basic hygiene products, tampons and pads are not covered by the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Medicaid. In fact, in most U.S. states, they are subject to sales tax.
• Colleges across the country have implemented programs that give students access to free menstrual products in restrooms. In New York Schools, attendance increased 2.4% when they started offering freely accessible menstrual products in the bathrooms. Nationwide, there is a growing legislative push to recognize and center menstrual needs.

Team Member Testimonial

My name is Heidi and I’m the Graduate Assistant at Swoop’s Pantry. Before I became the Grad Assistant, I was a shopper at Swoop’s for 2 years. I left a long-term career in retail to go back to school as a social work major, and it was a major financial sacrifice for my family, I have two kids and we needed two incomes to pay our bills. I did not want to carry the stress of taking out the maximum amount of student loans, so I knew I would have to go outside of my comfort zone and find creative ways to meet my family’s needs while I finished school.

Since groceries were one of the highest bills we had, I decided to start checking out food pantries. I had never been to a food pantry before, and had witnessed lines outside of pantries in the area, and that many were open limited days/hours. I found out about Swoop’s Pantry and decided to try it out, even though I was nervous and felt uncomfortable going. I knew it would pay off in the end for my family and that I would be able to give back to the community once I graduated. I was so pleasantly surprised by how much the pantry had to offer, and was relieved that I could find healthy options that my family liked to eat and that they had plenty of produce, bread, etc. I was able to get even more items such as paper products, clothing and diapers which continued to lighten our load financially.

Swoop’s became a bit of a “happy place” for me where I felt a sense of abundance. The culture at Swoop’s is a microcosm of the world I want to help create as a social worker; where people know they are welcomed and supported, and that operates counter to society’s emphasis on independence, and scarcity of resources. As a GA at Swoop’s I want to continue to break down barriers to accessing Swoop’s and to let you know that the Swoop’s team is here to help!