Austin Diaper Bank -Back-To-School Period Product Drie

2210 Denton Dr,Austin TX 78758

12 August, 2021

Description

In Partnership With U By Kotex® And National Foundation For Women Legislators. Donations Benefit Austin Diaper Bank’s Bright Spot Program, a Local Member of the Alliance for Period Supplies Bright Spot, an Austin Diaper Bank program, is hosting the With You, She Can Get Back to School Period Product Drive on August 12 to collect period products to provide to students in need. U by Kotex® will match donations to Bright Spot, up to 40,000 period products. The community is encouraged to drop off donations of period supplies to the Austin Diaper Bank during the event. The event aims to raise awareness of the need to enact meaningful legislation that would provide access to period supplies in schools – especially in low income communities – to help ensure students don’t miss classes due to a lack of period supplies. U by Kotex and the National Foundation for Women Legislators, in partnership with the Alliance for Period Supplies and Austin Diaper Bank’s Bright Spot program, support State Representative Donna Howard’s H.B. 321, which aims to exempt feminine hygiene products from the state sales tax. Local corporate volunteers and elected officials will sort and pack donations of period supplies to support Bright Spot, a program from the Austin Diaper Bank as part of the Alliance for Period Supplies. Community members can purchase and donate products prior to the event through the organization’s Amazon wish list. INTERVIEWS AND VISUALS: Corporate volunteers packing period kits and collecting period supplies Invited elected officials (final attendees to be confirmed closer to event): o State Rep. Donna Howard o State Rep. Ina Minjarez Holly McDaniel, executive director at Bright Spot/Austin Diaper Bank Troy Moore, chief of external affairs at Alliance for Period Supplies Alice Gray, co-founder and lead organizer for the Texas Menstrual Equity Coalition Photo assets available following the event WHEN: Thursday, August 12, 2021: 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. CT, corporate volunteer activities Formal Remarks begin at noon CT WHERE: Austin Diaper Bank Warehouse 2210 Denton Dr, Austin, TX 78758 Parking available in front of warehouse CONTACT: Sarah de Jong C: 615-418-3631 [email protected] ADDITIONAL DETAILS: • Nationally, two in five low-income women struggle to purchase period products due to lack of income, according to research from U by Kotex. • In Texas, 1 in 6 women and girls between the age of 12 and 44 lives below the federal poverty line. • Since Bright Spot launched in February 2019, the Austin Diaper Bank has provided over 460,000 period products through Navarro Early College High School and Burnet Middle School in the Austin Independent School District as well as to the nonprofit’s 35 partner agencies that also receive diapers. • Lack of access to period supplies is linked to using substitute products, stretching product usage and even missing work, school or other important events. • The Austin Diaper Bank’s Bright Spot Program is one of 100+ independently operated allied programs within the Alliance for Period Supplies network striving to help fill those gaps. • U by Kotex became the founding sponsor of the Alliance for Period Supplies, an initiative of the National Diaper Bank Network, in 2018. • U by Kotex is a proud sponsor of the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL), an organization aimed at empowering and inspiring elected women to become thought leaders who shape America's future. Together with the Alliance for Period Supplies, U by Kotex is providing educational resources to NFWL members and hosting product donation drive events in select markets throughout the year with the intent to increase education of period poverty and access to menstrual products, as well as raise awareness on legislation that would provide free period products in schools. • Extending efforts beyond the With You, She Can Get Back to School Product Drive, here are some other ways community members can take action to end period poverty: o Raise awareness: Post your support or something you’ve learned about period poverty in your community using the hashtags #WithUSheCan and #EndPeriodPoverty o Volunteer: Allied programs, like Bright Spot, need communities to invest time, skills, experience and education. Visit https://www.austindiapers.org/bright-spot.html for ways to get involved. o Shop for the cause: On an ongoing basis, your purchase of U by Kotex products at participating retail partners will generate a donation to Alliance for Period Supplies and its allied programs. Visit ubykotex.com to learn more. • Individuals in need of period products are encouraged to call 2-1-1 in their local community and ask for assistance. Nonprofit organizations interested in becoming involved with the Alliance for Period Supplies should contact the membership team at [email protected] or visit www.allianceforperiodsupplies.org for more information.