READING, Pa.- At Helping Harvest\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
The Help A Girl Out menstrual equity drive is now in its fifth year, working to address period poverty across Berks County and beyond.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cHelp A Girl Out is a menstrual equity drive that is now in its fifth year here in the county,\u201d said co-founder Suzanne Cody. \u201cLast year, we were able to expand our region. Now, we go into two counties.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor this year, now in our fifth, we\u2019re able to also conduct a kickoff, which is what I\u2019m preparing for here tonight in Berks County,\u201d Cody said.<\/p>\n
Organizers say the need continues to grow. Without access to menstrual products, many women and girls are forced to miss school or work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people don\u2019t have access to product, they can\u2019t go to work. They can\u2019t go to school,\u201d Cody said. \u201cIt\u2019s one in four girls in Pennsylvania. This is something that\u2019s hitting home.\u201d<\/p>\n