CAYCE, S.C. — It’s uncomfortable to talk about but for women, like it or not, it comes every month. According to the Alliance for Period Supplies, one in four women struggle to purchase period products due to a lack of income.
In South Carolina, one in five women lives below the federal poverty level. It’s a tough topic to talk about - period poverty: the inability to access menstrual hygiene products. It impacts more than 200,000 women in South Carolina.
But one Cayce Girl Scout is working to change that statistic. Kyra Jones from Mount Zion Church said that, after her own personal experience with limited supplies, it got her wheels turning.
“I went to the school nurse 'cause I didn’t have enough pads at home. So I went to go ask the school nurse, ‘Is it okay if I get a few pads,'' Jones said. "She asked if I had access to pads at home which I replied I did. But it made me think what if I didn’t have access or pads at home."
She said she knew about the Pink Tax that cuts the for feminine hygiene products, but there was still a need to help.
Her solution was K’s Corner, a small pantry inside Mount Zion Church that is supported by community donations.
“Right now, we’re donating to two schools; so, St. Matthews, which I'm currently doing, and it’s a k-through-eight school,” Jones said.
The pantry helps 50 girls experiencing period poverty in Cayce alone. But the plan is bigger than Cayce.
“What the plan is that, if I’m done with college, I still want other Girl Scouts to continue this project to where the community has access to products,” she said.
Jones added that the project opened her eyes to more than selling cookies - and also making an impact.
Anyone who would like to contribute to the supply drive can take diapers, feminine hygiene products, and toothpaste to Mount Zion Church of Cayce Monday through Friday.