It’s widely-known that those experiencing homelessness or those in need of financial assistance benefit from food and clothing donations. What’s often less realized is the need for feminine hygiene products, a necessary and recurring monthly expense for women and girls.
Since 2018, the nonprofit Lowcountry Period Pixies has been addressing this need, distributing 37,000 feminine hygiene products over the last year alone to more than 100 sites in six counties, including homeless shelters, churches, clinics, food banks, outreach organizations and schools, making life less stressful for women and pubescent girls.
Melissa Soule, president and founder of Lowcountry Period Pixies, said community members are often surprised to learn that the greatest need is delivery to area elementary, middle schools and high schools. There are instances of students skipping school due to not having these products.
While a state legislation was introduced in 2023 requiring public schools to “maintain a supply of feminine hygiene products,” it has not gone to a vote and Soule said schools have no additional budget for these products.
“They’re leaning on us,” Soule said.
School nurses make requests through a Google drive portal each month. Volunteers assemble 21 to 25 products per pack and volunteer drivers deliver large garbage bags of packs to drop-off sites.
“This is not just an issue for lower socioeconomic households; we bring supplies to (higher income areas) like Wando High School and Lucy Beckham in Mount Pleasant,” Soule said.
‘I have to be a part of that’
Soule has been running Lowcountry Period Pixies for eight years after volunteering with the Homeless Period Project, a nonprofit in Greenville.
“When I read about it, I said, ‘I have to be part of that,’” Soule said. “I started the Homeless Period Project chapter down here and said ‘I want to do it in the schools.’”
Soule, along with Katie Preston, Pam Parr, Helana Frierson, Lisa Ross and Chris Fazio, who make up the leadership team, donate their time to this passion project.
“We 100% run on volunteers, and we all have full-time jobs,” Soule said.
Two years ago, Lowcountry Period Pixies received a small grant that goes toward paying rent for a storage unit to keep the supplies. Before that, products were stored in Soule’s garage.
Greatest need
In addition to direct donations of individually-wrapped maxi pads, panty liners and feminine hygiene wipes (tampons are only included in community packs), Soule said the greatest need is for volunteers to assemble the packs, as well as volunteer drivers to deliver products.
Procter & Gamble, a large distributor of these products under the Always brand, stated that since 2018, it has donated 2.5 million maxi pads across all 50 states, including to the Homeless Period Project in Greenville. The Lowcountry Period Pixies is not among its grantees, however.
Soule said the quickest way to make a local impact is through volunteering and direct donations of products. Lowcountry Period Pixies can sign off on service hours for clubs and student organizations.
“People can host ‘packing parties’ with family, friends or co-workers,” Soule said. “At every packing party, everyone says that this is something they never thought about before. We don’t want it to ever have to be a question or a choice to either get tampons or food for the week.”
Learn more about the organization and about upcoming packing events at lowcountryperiodpixies.org and on Facebook.
By Jenny Peterson
