The Junior League of Montgomery awarded a generous Community Service Grant to Women in Training, Inc. that supported the International Day of the Girl Child giveaway of nearly 500 WITKITS of menstrual, dental and hygiene supplies to middle school girls in Montgomery Public Schools. Research from Always brand of period products from Procter & Gamble reports that 1 in 5 girls in the U.S. missed school due to the lack of access to period products. In an effort to help #EndPeriodPoverty, Always joined together with Walmart to donate packs of period products as part of their 50 Period Hero campaign to help fight period poverty across the country and help young people stay in the confidence-boosting activities they love.
Volunteers from JustServe Central Alabama, Auburn University of Montgomery and Junior League of Montgomery supported the International Day of the Girl Child project by putting in more than 100 hours shopping for supplies, packing the beautiful canvas WITKITS, and supporting the delivery process.
“The Junior League of Montgomery partnered with WIT to not only provide donations for menstrual hygiene, sanitary and dental items, but also a committee of volunteers assisted with shopping for hygiene items, packing, and distribution of the items. This is a vital resource for the young women in our community who are not fortunate to be able to afford these basic necessities” said TaKenya Rogers, Chairperson for Women in Training Community Placement, Junior League of Montgomery. “We are dedicated to developing the potential of women and improving our community. Through our partnership with Women in Training we are accomplishing both objectives.”
Women in Training was instrumental in the unanimous passage in 2022 of Alabama’s House Bill 50, the period poverty law that allocates $200,000 to the Alabama Department of Education to provide menstrual products to students in Title I schools at no charge. The actual cost to provide monthly menstrual products to the more than 56,000 low-income menstruators in Alabama’s public schools is $3 million annually; therefore, Women in Training continues to help meet the gap through its WITKITS Campaign.
“We are so grateful to Junior League of Montgomery for helping WIT meet the needs of girls of our community in honor of International Day of the Girl in October,” said Dr. LaKeshia Thomas, DMD, WIT Community Outreach Director. “Many girls who struggle to afford menstrual products resort to using paper towels, rags, socks and other items that place their health in jeopardy.”
Each WITKIT contains a month’s supply of the following items, and is valued at $50 per canvas bag.
Always pads
The WIT Guide to Menstrual Education brochure
Unscented soap
Deodorant
Lotion
Toothpaste, toothbrushes and floss
Washcloth or loofah
Pair of fuzzy socks
Handmade bracelet
WIT Board Secretary Dr. Lee Farrow, PhD, Distinguished Teaching Professor of History at Auburn University of Montgomery, makes each bracelet with love and care. Dr. Farrow includes a butterfly logo and an inspiring word, such as peace, love and beauty on each bracelet.
“I truly enjoy making bracelets to give to girls and young women as a way of expressing love and sisterhood,” said Dr. Farrow. “I often fill up my basket and work on the bracelets while I’m sitting in meetings or watching a movie.”
Student volunteers from Auburn University of Montgomery, as well as volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Relief Society, helped to pack the WITKITS.
“When the Relief Society was first organized in 1842, the founding President, Emma Smith, said: ‘We expect extraordinary occasions and pressing calls,’” explained Sheralyn Belyeu, JustServe Specialist. “For 180 years, sisters have risen to her expectations, providing help and relief in our communities and around the world.” The Relief Society connected with WIT through JustServe, an international nonprofit that helps charitable organizations find volunteers and donors.
Founded in 2019, by twin sisters, Breanna and Brooke Bennett on their 12th birthday, WIT is a youth empowerment organization that works to End Poverty. PERIOD! To date, WIT has distributed more than 15,000 WITKITS to girls and women in need across Alabama, and manages the WIT Leadership Development Academy of programs to break the generational cycle of poverty.
The fight does not end here. You can join WIT, Always and the 50 Period Heroes to help #EndPeriodPoverty in the U.S. and become a Period Hero yourself. Contact your elected officials here and ask them to show their support to help #EndPeriodPoverty.