Justice Necessary to donate more than 250,000 pads and tampons for students across Colorado.
DENVER – (March 28, 2024) – This April, Colorado nonprofit Justice Necessary will be providing more than 250,000 pads and tampons to middle schools, high schools and college students across Front Range communities. The nonprofit, which tackles hygiene poverty, will be hosting five days of period packing parties encouraging the community to join in, and ensuring students have access to period products.
In Colorado, 90% of female teens have started their period unexpectedly in public without the necessary supplies and 80% of Colorado female teens have missed class due to a lack of period products, according to the Colorado Teen Period Poverty Study 2024, commissioned by Justice Necessary in January 2024.
“When Colorado students are absent from class due to not having access to period products, it's not just a day away from school – it's a lost chance for growth, education, and empowerment,” said Justice Necessary Founder Diane Cushman Neal. “Let's ensure every student has the essentials they need to pursue their education without interruption. Access to period products just is necessary.”
Each packing party will be putting together one-month bags of pads or tampons. The period packing party details are as follows:
Aims Community College’s will be held on April 10 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on campus in conjunction with Grace Upon Grace Project, Arty’s Pantry, Aims Hunger-Free Campus Initiative, Aims Menstrual Equity Committee and Aims Student Life Department. One-month bags will be donated to Aims Community College students and the Northern Colorado middle and high school students. To get involved, email artys.pantry@aims.edu.
CSU’s will be held on April 13 from 10 a.m. – noon at the Lory Student Center in conjunction with Grace Upon Grace Project and Rams Against Hunger. The one-month bags will be donated to CSU students and distributed to Northern Colorado middle and high schools. To get involved, email Kathryn.Conrad@colostate.edu or simply show up to the event.
University of Northern Colorado will be hosting a period packing party on April 18 on campus in conjunction with the Grace Upon Grace Project to benefit Northern Colorado middle school and high school students as well as UNC students. To get involved, email taylor.schiestel@unco.edu.
The Aurora community period packing party will be held on April 26 and 27 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at The Salvation Army Aurora (802 Quari St. Aurora CO 80011) in conjunction with the Aurora Police Department, The Salvation Army, Cherry Creek School District and, Amigos de Mexico. The one-month bags will be distributed among all partners. To get involved, email JNichola@auroragov.org or simply show up to the event.
In January, Justice Necessary, in collaboration with its legislative champions, introduced the “Free Menstrual Products to Students, HB24-1164” to Colorado’s 74th General Assembly. If passed, it would ensure that period products are accessible in school bathrooms to students enrolled in sixth through twelfth grade, building on the existing “Menstrual Hygiene Products Accessibility Grant Program” providing free menstrual hygiene products for schools throughout Colorado. The bill passed through the Education Committee and is now headed to the Appropriations Committee.