PUNCTUATING THE PERIOD: MB Piland's 25th anniversary focused on reducing period poverty
On April 1, 2023, MB Piland turned 25—that's a long time, punctuated by growth, success, ups and downs and renewals. We’re always looking for ways to make our community better. That’s our purpose. To mark this business milestone, we decided to shine a light on Period Poverty. It’s a big problem. And we wanted to do something about it.
Period Poverty is when people don't have the financial means to purchase what they need to manage their menstrual cycle.
Thank you for your support of our campaign to provide period products to Topeka Public Schools. Your generosity exceeded all expectations!
We are happy to report that Community Action has a period pantry and is working with area schools to provide needed products. If you'd like to know more or support their efforts, contact Sara Rust-Martin at
ABOUT PUNCTUATING THE PERIOD
MB Piland launched Phase 1 of the campaign in February 2023. For 6 weeks we collected donations, and on Friday, March 31, a group of more than 40 volunteers—our clients, friends and supporters—pitched in to create hundreds of period kits that included enough product for a student to manage not just a day, but at least one whole cycle.
Phase 2 began on April 1, our anniversary, and continued through the end of the year.
Topeka Public Schools is our county's largest school district, serving 13,000 students. About 77% of students in Topeka Public Schools are in low-income families.
THANK YOU to the many people who donated product, money and time for Punctuating the Period. Your generosity has delivered at least 30,730 items valued at nearly $10,000 to Topeka Public Schools.
PACKING PARTY PHOTOS
Check out the photos below from set up to finish!
FACTS ABOUT PERIOD POVERTY
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When students don’t have access to period products, THEY get left out: left out of class time, activities and opportunities that can put them behind.
You can help. Join our campaign. Click here to donate.
Period Poverty is when menstruators don’t have the financial means to purchase what they need to manage their period.
These products can be expensive and they’re not provided like other basic necessities in restrooms like toilet paper, paper towels and soap. Women face a wage gap, and there’s the additional financial burden of managing what is a basic biological function. It’s a heavier burden on low-income families who sometimes have to choose between food and menstrual products. When they don’t have what they need, they miss out on work, school, activities and opportunities.
LEARN MORE
The first step in solving any problem is education. You can learn more about Period Poverty from these sources:
https://period-action.org/periodpoverty
https://www.joghr.org/article/32436-period-poverty-why-it-should-be-everybo…
https://period.org/uploads/State-of-the-Period-2021.pdf
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1243035/negative-impact-of-period-pover…
