Ah, the dreaded sneak attack. It's nature vs. your pastel pants at a wedding or your first day at the new job or anywhere you weren't adequately prepared for that perpetually inconvenient time of the month. These common gotcha scenarios can leave us feeling vulnerable, embarrassed, and with a relentless need to rush home and shower.
Now, imagine being homeless.
Experts have stated publicly that periods are a source of crisis for the homeless and those in need, both financially and with respect to personal hygiene. The #EveryWoman Project is a collective of kind souls who gather together on a monthly basis in different cities across North America to assemble and distribute period care packages to folks in need. We also recently launched our Barrel program, which is an international response effort for places that have been affected by natural and political disasters. Our goal is to embrace everyone who experiences a period by providing them with the necessities they need to function and feel clean.
Simple Concept x Giant Impact
"We are here for everyone who bleeds. If you are looking for an empowering volunteer opportunity, contact us. If you need a period pack this month, contact us. If you want to start an EveryWoman team in your city, contact us. This project is powered by love and kept alive by a wonderful team of inspiring humans!" - Shannon McD, Founder
Happy Anniversary, Chicago!
Tamiko Nettles is the Director of the Chicago Chapter of The #EveryWoman Project, and she has kept it alive, well, and in steady growth since the beginning. We are grateful for her in a billion ways! Thanks to the talented LowKey Digital for capturing the essence of Tamiko and the ongoing Chicago effort in the video below! Secondly, we are in the midst of organizing a belated one-year birthday celebration + giveaway initiative for this project... if you would like to get involved, or you were once involved and would like to jump back in, please contact me or any of our team members - we would love to have you! To get more of a sense of how this project is truly #PoweredByLove, please take a moment and watch...
City TV Shows Love to #LoveInDeed
A few members of our Toronto team were featured in a recent news story that aired on Toronto's CityTV news, bringing awareness to the need for more supplies and donations, and promote our Valentine's Day initiative, offering folks the chance to sponsor a care package (or ten!) in their loved one's name. We received a wonderful response from CityTV viewers, and nearly 200 care packages were sponsored as Valentine's Day gifts! Who needs flowers?!
The video that started it all...
It was just another YouTube spiral fueled by boredom and procrastination. I was clicking through videos and somehow stumbled upon this short day-in-the-life doc of a homeless woman walking the audience through what it's like to experience her period while living on the streets. The alarming truth of it all combined with the shocking simplicity of how to fulfill this need - even if on smaller scales - was the beginning of what is now The EveryWoman Project. I can't stress this enough - if you bleed and are in need, we are here for you. If you are reading this and find yourself or someone you know in need of supplies to survive a period this month, contact us immediately and we will get you a care package. And please don't hesitate to reach out if you would like to donate or volunteer - we would love to have you!
Toronto shows us love!
Late last summer, our team took to the streets of Toronto's Kensington Market to fill our Barrel for Barbuda - an international rapid response to the devastating hurricane that ravaged the island. This wonderful city + it's beautiful souls did not disappoint! Two barrels filled and over $1,500 in cash raised! #Swoon...
BIG LOVE to the Pedestrian Sundays Crew, DJ LazyE, Edson Sasso, The Mondesir Brothers + the ENTIRE HotStepper Sundays Collective, Santosh Naidu + King Curtiss, and the Toronto EveryWoman crew for such a spectacular day of love!