LUMBERTON, NC (8/31/2022) – Lumber River United Way has launched On The Spot, a new community impact project designed to provide the public schools in Bladen, Hoke and Robeson Counties with period kits. The kits are designed to help students have access to enough products for healthy management of periods.
Period poverty, or the lack of access to adequate hygiene products to manage mensuration in a healthy way, is a hidden impact of poverty. A 2019 study found that 84% of students reported having missed school or knew someone who missed school due to lack of access to menstrual products. In North Carolina, menstrual products are considered “non-essential” and are taxed as luxury items, annually costing individuals between $50-60.
When a student doesn’t have access to the hygiene products needed to have healthy periods, they risk more than their health. They could miss school and with missing school not have access to breakfast and lunch. Period poverty is a problem that teachers and counselors have been addressing for some time, often out of their own pockets.
We are excited to partner with Lumber River United Way as they launch On The Spot to address period poverty. Through this partnership our students won’t have to worry about having access to the supplies they need to manage their periods, says Bladen County Schools Superintendent, Dr. Jason Atkinson. Today students have enough on their proverbial plates and through On The Spot, we can help eliminate a stressor for part of our student population.
On The Spot posters will be in the schools, letting students know where the period kits can be
found.
Pictured are: Tate Johnson, Lumber River United Way Executive Director; Margaret Crites, Lumber River United Way Community Engagement Manager; Dr. Jason Atkinson, Bladen County Schools Superintendent.
About Lumber River United Way
We unite to create positive, lasting change for people in need. We are a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to solving the most pressing health and human service needs by assisting people in Bladen, Hoke, and Robeson Counties. We work every day to achieve our vision and mission by focusing on the three foundations for building better lives: Health, Education, and Financial Stability.
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