RTI Summer Direct Impact Project. Period.
UPDATE: We started out with an ambitious goal of 200,000 period supplies, a stretch goal of 250,000 and an estimate of 20 pallets. In the end, we donated over 450,000 period supplies including 48 total pallets, and each of the four Alliance for Period Supplies locations will get over 100,000 supplies per location!
It’s time to address a health crisis: one that existed long before the turmoil of the past 18 months, but intensified by it.
A 2019 study led by St. Louis University researchers found 36 percent of people who menstruate missed days of work due to a lack of adequate period supplies. It also found 21 percent of low-income individuals surveyed couldn’t buy those needed products on a monthly basis…nearly half of them had to choose between buying food or period-related products.
That study was conducted before the global pandemic led to lockdowns, closed businesses, rising unemployment, and decreased availability of retail goods. These economic disruptions lead to even lower access to products for people who menstruate. It affects low-income households, patients in hospitals and care facilities, even health workers and students.
Combine all this with the health risks associated with dangerous improvisation or omission of menstrual care, and it’s not just a concern or a problem; it’s a crisis.
WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT: This summer, the global community within the Fanthropy Running Clubs of Random Tuesday, Inc. are focusing our Direct Impact Project (DIP) at the crisis of period supply scarcity. We’re going to collect period-related products from community members around the world to be then hand-delivered to multiple facilities that will put them in the hands of those who need them most. THE GOAL: Our community is going to donate 200,000+ period supplies. We’ve built a reputation for showing how the power of fandom can be turned into incredible acts of giving. We can do this. We will do this. THE DATES: Monday, June 21 through Monday, July 12, 2021. (See the full rules for specifics on shipping and receiving dates.) WHO WE’RE WORKING WITH: We’re partnering up with Alliance for Period Supplies, a national organization that helps ensure that individuals in need have access to essential period products required to fully participate in daily life. The Alliance is a network of Allied Programs that collect, warehouse and distribute menstrual/period supplies in local communities. Each serves as a trusted community resource and advocates for individuals who struggle to afford material basic needs. HOW WE’RE GOING TO COLLECT: Complete details on valid donation methods are in the official rules document, but in summary, participation in the DIP can be done in two ways: by (1) dropping off supplies at support shelters, food banks and pantries in your local area; or (2) by shipping to RTI HQ. THE FULL STORY: For complete details on the accepted items, approved donation methods, collection point address, and the individual goals for our Fanthropy Running Clubs in their DIP-driven “Fanthropy Coffee Cup” competition, we ask that everyone please read the full 2021 Summer DIP Rules at tinyurl.com/2021summerdip.It’s time to change the world again. Period.