The Amagansett Library has launched a menstrual-health donation drive, ongoing through Aug. 20, to support Hamptons Community Outreach, which works with underserved children, families, and seniors by combating food insecurity, providing tutoring, holding diaper drives, fund-raising for home repairs, and other kinds of crisis intervention.
The library is collecting unopened sanitary napkins/pads, tampons, pantyliners, and menstrual cups, which can be disposable or reusable, for local students struggling with period poverty.
This is the first time the library has held this type of donation drive. Kimberly Parry, the head of adult and teen services, said that "menstrual health needs can often be overlooked."
"Amagansett Library is happy to host this drive for [its] community members and those in the greater Hamptons area," she said.
The website Period.org describes period poverty as "the limited or inadequate access to menstrual products or menstrual health education." Nearly one in four students in the United States has financial problems affording period supplies, according to the website. The organization Period Poverty says one in five girls misses school for part of her menstrual cycle and the Journal of Global Health Reports has said that of the 16.9 million low-income women in America, two-thirds cannot afford menstrual products.
The Amagansett Library "appreciate[s] anything community members can donate," Ms. Parry said. "I know a menstrual health drive may not be as mainstream as a food, clothing, or toy drive, but it is certainly very needed."
Donations can be dropped off at the Library for distribution by Hamptons Community Outreach.