Did you know you can't purchase pads or tampons with SNAP/Food Stamps or WIC? Or that there is NO federal or state program that helps people afford these essential items?
Menstrual care is expensive and rarely donated, so thousands face a difficult choice: use unhygienic alternatives like rags and toilet paper, or stay home and miss out on school, work, and life. Lack of access to menstrual care is a “deal breaker:" regardless of the other resources available to them, women and girls cannot stay healthy, work or attend school without reliable access to menstrual care.
Dignity Matters is the largest nonprofit provider of free menstrual care and undergarments in Massachusetts. We help 15,000 women manage their period with dignity every month, in partnership with more than 175 shelters, food pantries, and schools - and for most of them we are their ONLY reliable source of these items. Every $50 you donate provides a woman the menstrual care and underwear she needs to manage her period safely for a year!
Dignity Matters gives women the dignity of choosing the type of menstrual care and undergarments they are comfortable using, and we make a long-term commitment so they know they can count on us for these products every month. We use a unique manufacturing contract to buy menstrual care and underwear at wholesale prices, so your donations stretch to help as many women as possible. There is no federal funding for this work, so every item we distribute is donated directly by our community or purchased with your financial support.
We support women and girls through four programs:
Dignity at Schools provides menstrual products, underwear, and bras to students at public middle and high schools and after-school programs in Massachusetts.
Dignity on Campus provides menstrual care and underwear to students facing poverty at community colleges and state universities in MA.
Dignity at Shelters provides menstrual care, bras and underwear to women at homeless and domestic violence shelters, low-income housing and community centers, and emergency family centers.
Dignity in the Community delivers menstrual care and incontinence underwear to women and girls through 42 food pantries and medical centers in Massachusetts.
Please visit our website to learn more about Dignity Matters and how your support makes a difference!
