The Homeless Period

The homeless go without a lot of things we take for granted everyday. Shelter, food, clean clothes, etc. Let's narrow this down to homeless women. Have you considered their challenges? Specifically the challenges they face on a monthly basis with dear old Aunt Flo?

Think about it. If you weren't able to go out and buy pads, tampons, menstrual cups, whatever you use for your period, what would you do? I've heard of women who got a surprise period while out and about and had to use toilet paper in a pinch. But that's a one-time fixer upper, right? It won't last for long and I guarantee you wouldn't want to use toilet paper again.

Let's have compassion. It doesn't matter how or why homeless people became homeless. A fellow woman is in need. You don't know her name. You don't know her story. But you know she's in need of something basic you wouldn't want to live without.

"The purpose of life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others." -Albert Schweitzer

Want to help? Here are a few ways:

1. Sign this petition on change.org (link) urging the United Kingdom government to give homeless shelters an allowance for feminine care products the same way they do for condoms. (For friends in places other than the U.K., you can still care and sign!) 

2. Carry care packages in your vehicle for instances when you see homeless women out and about. Pass out care packages that include pads or tampons.

3. Donate pads and tampons to your local homeless shelter. Even a one-time donation will make a difference for someone.

4. If you belong to a church or other nonprofit organization, talk to your needs department about passing out pads or tampons with food baskets or the like. Those who have a home, but live in poverty may also suffer.

Join the talk on Twitter with the hashtag #TheHomelessPeriod.

If you make a difference in someone's life or would like to share more ideas on how to do so, leave a comment!

Update: Someone pointed out how much more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly it would be to donate a reusable period product. The most famous is, of course, the menstrual cup. But those are pretty pricey even though they save a huge amount of money in the long run.

(Disclosure: The following is an affiliate link. See Disclosures and Privacy Policy for more information. Click on the picture links to purchase, but no pressure! I'm just glad you're here and that you care. Please help the cause however you wish.) 

If you want to donate a reusable product that is safe, cheap, and planet-friendly, I recommend the sea sponge tampon from The Sea Sponge Company. For only $10 plus $5 shipping, you get two sea sponge tampons that can be used again and again. Click on the picture below to buy.