Can you imagine what it would be like not to have a bathroom, or even anywhere to store your hygiene products? Over 2,000 women in San Francisco are homeless and it is safe to assume that the majority of them have their periods: many shelters provide clothing and food but not feminine hygiene products, leading to lack of dignity and diminished health.

Simply the Basics would like to host a “Period Party” with the goal of raising awareness regarding basic hygiene needs for the homeless women in a fun event and collecting products that will support these homeless women. The admission for the event will be a box of tampons, pad, or menstrual cups, and we will have fun activities throughout the event where people can “purchase” additional hygiene products to participate: even the drinks will be bought with hygiene products!

The event will do more than just provide thousands of products for homeless women and support the Bay Area, it will make talking about periods de-stigmatized and even fun! A huge reason why feminine hygiene is not donated is because of stigma, we want to put periods at the top of the list when considering needs for every human.