The Policy Project and Aunt Flow® Hold Period Party® to Pack Up to 3,000 Period Kits for Youth in Need

Students and advocates gather to celebrate efforts to provide free period products to K-12 students and donate to schools and community organizations

SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Members from The Policy Project/Utah Period Project and Aunt Flow^®, which is on a mission to change the world one cycle at a time, will host Utah's first Period Party^® to pack nearly 3,000 period packs to distribute to students in lower-income areas and nonprofit organizations that support youth in need. The period packs are for youth who are experiencing period poverty as the lack of access to menstrual products for students remains a significant issue. The Period Party also celebrates the efforts of student ambassadors who were instrumental in Utah's state legislature passing a law that now requires K-12 public and charter schools across the state to provide free period products.

"Accessibility is an issue for students in grades K-12 across the country as one in four menstruating students say they cannot afford period products," said Emily Bell McCormick, president and founder of The Policy Project/Utah Period Project. "We want to ensure students have pads and tampons both in and out of school. We are proud to partner with Aunt Flow to celebrate the beginning of this school year marking the first time that school-age menstruators have access to quality period products, free of charge––restoring dignity and confidence in students who face period poverty."

Being held on Sept. 13 at Twenty & Creek in Sandy, UT, the event will gather more than 250 of the organization's student ambassadors to celebrate the success of free, quality period products in public schools and to mark the commitment to students learning to make a difference in their communities and states. Student ambassadors from around the state also will pack period kits with tampons and pads to donate to schools where period poverty may be an issue. Period kits will also be donated to nonprofits throughout the state to distribute to those in need. 

For the 2022-2023 school year, 6,300 Aunt Flow free-vend dispensers were installed in the majority of public and private K-12 school bathrooms in Utah to provide students with Aunt Flow organic cotton period products, as part of an effort made possible by private donors and The Policy Project.

"We have received amazing feedback from students across the state about the period products in their school bathrooms," said Jane Clayton, chair of Utah Period Project's student ambassador program. "Comments range from, 'I'm so excited I don't have to worry about my period at school' to 'the products are actually comfortable, organic and cute!' Our girls are starting to feel that their world is reflecting an understanding of their needs just a bit more."

One in five menstruating students have missed school because of a lack of period supplies and resources, and according to the National Education Association, one school system that offered free menstrual products saw a 2.4% increase in school attendance.

"We are excited to celebrate the tireless efforts of the students and advocates from the Utah Period Project, as they are helping to lead the menstrual movement and setting the standard for other states to follow," said Aunt Flow Chief Estrogen Officer (CEO) Claire Coder. "It is so inspiring to see students come together to ensure no menstruator goes without period products. We are proud to be part of this monumental effort not only in Utah, but across the country."

Aunt Flow is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to period products. Claire Coder founded Aunt Flow after getting her period in public without the supplies needed. At 18-years-old, she dedicated her life to developing a solution to ensure businesses and schools could sustainably provide high-quality menstrual products for free in bathrooms. Now, thousands of companies have joined the menstrual movement with Aunt Flow, providing free-vend dispensers stocked with organic tampons and pads. For every 10 tampons and pads sold, Aunt Flow donates one to a menstruator in need. We call this people helping people. PERIOD.^® For more information and to join the menstrual movement, visit www.goauntflow.com.

The Policy Project is a nonprofit (501c3), non-partisan organization that promotes solution-based policies to remove barriers to opportunity. We work toward healthy, equitable policy for the future of our children, our community and our world. We are currently working to end period poverty in our lifetime as part of our initiative, Utah Period Project.

SOURCE Aunt Flow