P&G Helps Fight Period Poverty

Proctor & Gamble (P&G), parent company of Proctor & Gamble Professional (P&G PRO), recently donated 50,000 Always brand menstrual pads for distribution by a group students and alumni of Ringling College in Sarasota, Florida. The group recently distributed pads at Electa Lee Middle School and Ballard Elementary School, both located in Bradenton, Florida.

The donation is part of a national initiative by P&G to fight period poverty—the lack of access to menstrual products many girls and young women face in school that results in educational inequality, lost opportunities, and confidence. In a statement, P&G noted that one in five girls in the United States have missed school due to lack of access to period products. 

P&G selected the group as a Period Hero—people and organizations doing extraordinary work in their local communities to help end period poverty—for their participation in the production of the movie Code Red, Ringling College’s short film that confronts the topic.

“Although the girls in Code Red go on a whimsical adventure to find a pad, they’re still missing class because they don’t have easy access to period products,” said Jada Wing Hang Poon, a 2020 graduate of Ringling College who wrote and directed the film. “My hope is that Code Red fuels conversations between young people and their communities, encouraging them to end period stigma and take action in their local schools and politics to affect change for future generations.”

Since 2018, P&G has donated more than 65 million Always period products to help end period poverty in the United States. This year, the company, alongside the 50 Period Heroes, will distribute 2.5 million pads.

For more information on ending period poverty, check out the joint efforts by ISSA and Hygieia Network and learn more about how you can get involved.