READING, Pa.- At Helping Harvest’s Community Kitchen in Reading, volunteers are setting the table for a different kind of drive. Not for food, but for pads, tampons, and other menstrual essentials.
The Help A Girl Out menstrual equity drive is now in its fifth year, working to address period poverty across Berks County and beyond.
Last year marked a major milestone. Donations jumped 82 percent, allowing the grassroots effort to expand into a two-county model that now includes Schuylkill County.
“Help A Girl Out is a menstrual equity drive that is now in its fifth year here in the county,” said co-founder Suzanne Cody. “Last year, we were able to expand our region. Now, we go into two counties.”
This year’s campaign officially kicks off with multiple launch events, including one at Helping Harvest, giving supporters a chance to learn more and sign up to participate.
“For this year, now in our fifth, we’re able to also conduct a kickoff, which is what I’m preparing for here tonight in Berks County,” Cody said.
Organizers say the need continues to grow. Without access to menstrual products, many women and girls are forced to miss school or work.
“When people don’t have access to product, they can’t go to work. They can’t go to school,” Cody said. “It’s one in four girls in Pennsylvania. This is something that’s hitting home.”
New this year, Help A Girl Out has launched an official website, HelpAGirlOutUSA.com, making it easier for people to get involved, register for collection boxes, find drop-off locations, and follow the progress of the drive.