Sister Supplies: Collecting Totes and Menstrual Products During Women's History Month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sue Kerr
(412) 216-3535
tote4pgh@gmail.com

March Tote Drive Theme: Sister Supplies – Joint Project with “On The Spot”

Pittsburgh, PA - Local organizations On The Spot and the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project have teamed up to dedicate the month of March to collecting menstrual supplies with tote bags. On the Spot works to address the scarcity of menstrual products for many young girls in local low-income communities. The group focuses on collecting menstrual supplies that can be distributed in the schools, where teachers and staff often purchase items for girls who come to school with nothing. The Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project collects items defined as a “priority” by Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

Many women and girls in our region simply do not have the extra cash to stop at the drug store to pick up a box of tampons or pads. SNAP (food stamps) doesn’t cover these products. The difficult reality for many working women is that feminine hygiene products are a luxury.

During the month of March (Women’s History Month), The Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project and On the Spot, will be asking community members to fill tote bags with menstrual supplies for those women and girls in our region who so desperately need them. One grocery store tote bag with pads or tampons could provide a local woman with up to six months worth of supplies. Totes with products can be donated at any of the regular drop-spots for the three projects. More information on drop-off spots can be found at www.tote4pgh.com/sister-supplies.

“Dignity is an important part of the project,” explains Sue Kerr, co-chair of The Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project. “It is good fit with our goal of making the food pantry experience a bit more dignified. Working with On The Spot highlights the impact of poverty throughout our community and creates opportunities for us to support our neighbors.”

Suggested ways to participate include asking coworkers or family members to purchase products to be included in a tote bag, organizing a drive at your place of worship or community group, or working with a group of young women to educate them about this critical need.

“Many women and girls are stunned when they realize that this need exists,” says Kerr. “We take these items for granted, assume that the days of using rags or similar solutions are ‘history.’ That’s why we chose Women’s History Month – it is important for everyone to understand that poverty – even for working families – makes this very much a current problem.

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Back to School Shopping - Putting Last Year's Backpacks to Good Use

The Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project has an interesting idea as your family launches into back-to-school shopping this month and next.

They are collecting gently used backpacks, both for children and adults, which will be distributed to food pantries so families can more easily carry their groceries home. These along with the tote bags also distributed also provide the family with reusable bags for other purposes (including school if that's appropriate).

The project collaborates with a dozen local organizations including Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, East End Food Co-Op, Construction Junction and more to collect excess new and gently used tote bags for redistribution to the region's food pantries. The project has nearly a dozen permanent drop-off spots and partners with varius groups and companies to organize tote bag drives.

So why kids' backpacks?

I remember being a child and walking with my mum to the grocery store to pick up items. She didn't drive, so we walked. My Dad drove us for the big shopping on payday, but he worked. A lot. So it was often my young brother and I helping for those "in-between" trips.

We hated it. The walk was about a mile each way. My mother kept a brisk pace, a tight list and was typically not given to buying us a treat (this was the 70s and 80s and we were a steelworking family on a budget). And we had to carry stuff. This was in the era of paper bags so you couldn't drape it from your wrist. It was a bag in each arm and keep up the pace. The worst was our ongoing battle over who had to carry the gallon jug of 2% milk. It was cold, uncomfortable and usually wet from condensation. Ugggg.

Equally ugggg would have been letting my Mum carry everything herself. Not that she gave us that option, but still I knew it wasn't fun for her to do this. Now I do want to mention that my parents did utilize food pantries when my Dad was laid off. But they never took us. I am sure it was a matter of pride.

Then there was the unload from the "big" grocery shopping trips on payday. Usually, we had to go along to help (again, ugggg). But we definitely needed to be front and center to unload and put away 18 thousand bags of groceries (at least it seemed that way). I would have gladly abdicated that job, but my Mum's theory was that if wanted to eat, we had to participate.

No one used reusable bags in those days. At least, not in the Mon Valley.

I digress to my lifelong aversion to the gallon jug of 2% milk to put our next request into context ...

You can see where an adult sized backpack can help an adult sized family member transport grocery items very efficiently. We want to have bags on hand to help the kid sized family members be able to help should that be necessary/desired.

And, frankly, it is a very practical use for the leftover bags. I don't like the idea of anyone, much less a child, having to struggle with a thin plastic bag filled with whatever item they are responsible to transport.

Make it more impactful for your kids. Explain the reason you are donating the bags and offer them a chance to donate grocery items that might fit into the backpack. For example, if a PTA filled bags with 18 ounce jars of peanut butter, canned fruit and any type of juice ... perfect! You can take your children along to the drop-off spot to contribute the items directly. Or we can work with you to set up an informal drive and make arrangements for the kids to see the Food Bank if you prefer.

We anticipate collecting our 1500th reusable bag by Saturday. That translates into 750 households served, 4500 disposable bags kept out of use and an unknown amount of pantry money freed up to spend on food instead of bags.

You can help us push onward. For more information about the project, including a complete list of drop-off spots please visit http://www.tote4pgh.org/