ISSA Engages Hundreds of Show Attendees to Fight Period Poverty

On Nov.11, over 300 ISSA Show North America attendees volunteered at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center to assemble 500 personal-care bags for women and girls in need across the Las Vegas area. The now-annual ISSA End Period Poverty Service Project marked its third year with its biggest impact yet.

“These 500 bags symbolize the 500 million people worldwide facing period poverty—those without reliable access to menstrual products, hygiene facilities, or proper waste management,” said John Nothdurft, ISSA Director of Government Affairs. “Here in Nevada, one in seven women and girls ages 12 to 44 lives below the Federal Poverty Level. The need is real, and the cleaning and facility solutions industry continues to step up.”

This year, ISSA partnered once again with Purse Power, a Las Vegas nonprofit dedicated to supplying hygiene essentials to those who need them most.

“Purse Power has been honored for the past three years to partner with ISSA in our shared mission to end period poverty,” said Shelly Elmer, Purse Power executive director. “We appreciate ISSA’s leadership and partnership as we work to make a lasting impact. Together, we’re building a brighter, more equitable, and dignified future for our community and our world.”

Purse Power will distribute the personal-care bags to the following local organizations:

• Betty’s Village is a unique and inclusive residential community for adults with disabilities.
• Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada provide refugees from all over the world with resources to become self-sufficient and lead independent lives upon arriving in the U.S.
• Community In Schools of Nevada works to address students’ basic health and social-emotional and academic needs, empowering them to stay on track for a successful future.
• The Lighthouse of Restoration Organization makes an impact on the lives of low-income, single mothers and grandparents who are raising children.
• Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth provides Southern Nevada’s homeless youth with help, hope, and the support needed to rebuild their lives.
• SAFE House provides shelter, counseling, personal and legal advocacy, and community outreach to abused women and children.
• The Shade Tree provides safe shelter to homeless and abused women and children in crisis.

The 2025 ISSA service project was made possible through support from Hospeco Brands Group and product donations from:

• Hospeco Brands Group
• Aunt Flow
• Colgate-Palmolive
• Dial Professional
• Imperial Dade
• joni
• MaskIT
• Purse Power
• Tork, an Essity Brand

“Thank you to our sponsors and every participant who made this year’s service project a standout moment of the ISSA Show,” said Stacy Seiden, ISSA Senior Government Affairs Manager. “Together, we’re making a meaningful difference in the fight to end period poverty.”

For more information about ISSA’s End Period Poverty Service Project and the association’s broader campaign to End Period Poverty, contact Stacy Seiden.