I Support The Girls
If you’re reading this right now, chances are you know a girl, whether that’s your mom, sister, daughter, or friend that had to walk to the bathroom hiding a tampon up her sleeve or in her pocket.
There is a stigma around menstrual products and undergarments that makes people embarrassed to even talk about needing them.
Can you imagine how underserved the houseless community is then?
Because people don’t talk about these needs, they’re often forgotten about and don’t get donated.
You can find pants, shirts, sweaters, and even shoes that are donated, but the stigma is so large that it’s nearly impossible to find a bra.
Everyone is unique, so even if they do find a bra, it most likely doesn’t fit them.
Not to mention that federal programs like SNAP don’t cover hygiene products, so menstrual products such as pads and tampons are tough to come by.
When you’re houseless that often also means you have fewer undergarments.
That’s fewer undergarments to change into when you’re menstruating and few or no options of being able to clean them.
Houseless women are exposed to many more serious health issues and are offered little support to protect them.
We’d love to introduce one of our incredible partners, I Support The Girls, who are trying to change this.
I Support The Girls came to be entirely by accident when the founder, Dana, lost weight and had old bras that no longer fit her that she didn’t know what to do with.
When she went in to get a fitting for new bras, the saleswoman helping her said something that sparked an idea…
“Homeless women need bras.”
Now, she runs a non-profit that donates bras, menstrual products, and other essentials with 59 affiliates across the world!
Dana and her team distributed over a million bras and over 12 million menstrual products in just four years.
I Support The Girls is all about giving people dignity.
They do this by talking about these needs, supporting those going through domestic violence, transitioning, body changes such as menopause, and all of the little moments in life that pass us by.
Dana’s work, and all those that support the organization, gives people the chance to pick the right bra for their body, in a color they like.
They hold measuring events that help women into bras that help them feel comfortable, donate to girls' sports teams that help them keep focusing on the sport they’re passionate about, and work with disaster relief programs.
I Support The Girls provide sizes all the way through an N to make sure everyone can feel good.
They can also choose between a pad and a tampon or even a menstrual cup, they gain more control over their lives that wasn’t there before because of a system failure.
People shouldn’t have to pick between deodorant, menstrual products, and laundry detergent when they’re at a food pantry and told they can only get one item.
Through our Buy One, Give Ten program, Earth Breeze has been able to donate our Liquidless Laundry Detergent Eco Sheets.
These are distributed in the ASH kits, which provide people with aid, safety, and hygiene tools to make their lives a little bit brighter.
Everyone deserves to have these needs met, especially when they’re facing so many other challenges.
Dana and her team also use Eco Sheets to get all of the undergarments fresh, clean, and soft for the folks waiting to try them on!
We are so thankful for all of the Eco Heroes who make this happen by cleaning their own laundry with Earth Breeze.
Everyone deserves the confidence and comfort that clean laundry brings.
So, thank you, Eco Hero; you are making the world a kinder place.
