Many women might not think about where their menstrual care supplies are coming from. But not everyone has the luxury of just going to the store to get pads and tampons whenever they’re running low. These products can be prohibitively expensive for some of the country’s poorest residents.
Enter Dignity Grows, a nonprofit organization that works to provide menstrual care products for everyone regardless of their economic status. First founded in 2019 in Connecticut by the Jewish Federation of Greater Harford’s Women’s Philanthropy, Dignity Grows now has 60 chapters across the country, including one that was started in 2021 under the auspices of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore.
“Feminine hygiene products are very expensive, and it can affect you if you can’t afford them,” explained Terry Willner, one of the co-chairs of Dignity Grows’ Baltimore chapter. “It might affect whether you can go to work, or if you’re a student, whether you can go to school. And if you don’t have them, it’s embarrassing, you know?”
According to studies by The Period Poverty Project, 25% of women struggle to afford or access menstrual health products, and 42% of women have had to miss school or work due to their periods. Dignity Grows also helps transgender individuals who have periods, who may struggle with acquiring menstrual products discreetly as well as with the economic factor.
“Food stamps don’t cover feminine hygiene products. Maryland doesn’t tax them, but other states do,” said Rebecca Fruman, a co-chair of Baltimore’s Dignity Grows chapter. “We take these things for granted, but many women need them.”
Willner and Fruman both became involved with Dignity Grows through their prior volunteering with local Jewish organizations — Willner for Jewish Volunteer Connection and Fruman through The Associated. When they attended packing parties held by the newly founded Baltimore chapter of Dignity Grows, they felt very strongly about its mission and passionately about the organization’s work.
At these packing parties, members donate money to buy and pack menstrual supplies for people in need. “Dignity Totes” contain a month’s worth of sanitary pads and panty liners, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste and hand wipes, as well as a reusable bag to hold everything.
The Baltimore chapter works with 10 nonprofit organizations to distribute these Dignity Totes, including CHANA, Jewish Community Services, Paul’s Place and Cavanaugh House. While Dignity Grows was founded by a Jewish organization and has its roots in the values of tzedakah, it is a largely secular organization and works with partners across denominations.
Willner noted that it has been especially touching to see how others benefit from Dignity Grows’ work. She recalled a time she went to Cavanaugh House to drop off Dignity Totes, and “the woman who received the bags from me told me how much people appreciate it. Aside from the items in the totes, people receiving them use these bags regularly. Some people have very little, so these could be the bags they use to transport their lives.”
On Thursday, March 7, the Baltimore chapter of Dignity Grows held its annual packing party in honor of International Women’s Day. More than 60 volunteers made 200 Dignity Totes over the course of the night. The packing party was also held in conjunction with The Braided Candle, the monthly events meant to raise awareness for the victims of Oct. 7, so there was a particular focus on women in Israel.
“We often have discussions at these packing parties. Discussing the need for this work and sharing our personal stories,” Fruman said. “It’s a very engaging and fun conversation, because every woman knows and experiences this.”
According to an official statement from Dignity Grows founder Jessica Zachs, the organization was named due to its mission to preserve the dignity of the people receiving these supplies and remove the sense of shame associated with accepting charity.
“Learning about Period Poverty hit me in the gut when I realized that so many women and girls struggled with their personal dignity in regards to something most of us take for granted: good hygiene,” she wrote. “From those who battle monthly to those who might fall upon difficult times only once or twice, everyone deserves the dignity afforded by these basic human needs.”
