About

GIRLS HELPING GIRLS. PERIOD.

Our Mission, Goals & Values

Our mission is to support those in need with donations of period products that help them lead productive and healthy lives, educate about period poverty, and advocate for systemic change to normalize periods and create menstrual equity.

Helping Everyone. Period.

Menstrual health is a matter of basic health. And human dignity. Girls Helping Girls. Period. values Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access as crucial to our mission of working to end period poverty.

We recognize that people who menstruate have historically been marginalized in school and the workplace. Period poverty further puts them at risk of missing out on educational, professional, and personal opportunities. We work to eliminate the stigma and shame surrounding periods so that people who menstruate, regardless of their gender, can find acceptance and thrive in all places in society.

We provide services for any person, regardless of gender, gender identity, gender expression, or whether they menstruate. We understand that those who come from traditionally marginalized communities, including trans and non-binary people, suffer from period poverty at higher rates than other groups.

Our efforts include:

→ Donating menstrual supplies to anyone in need, because we believe assisting those who do not menstruate but want to support those in their lives who do, is of great value.

→ Welcoming anyone into our workshops, because we believe menstruation and reproductive health are matters for all people to discuss and understand.

→ Actively searching for representation and collaboration in our organization and our partnerships of people from all backgrounds, paying particular attention to those from the communities most affected by period poverty.

→ Advocating on behalf of students who menstruate, regardless of gender identity, to create systemic change that will support them on their educational journeys.

→ Seeking input on how to ensure our programs and services reflect the unique needs of the trans community.

While acknowledging that not all people who menstruate are girls or women, we feel it is important to the spirit of our organization’s founding to continue to use the term “girls” in our name. Girls Helping Girls. Period. started with young women who wanted to help other young women escape the effects of period poverty, and even as our work and stakeholders have expanded, we always aim to ground ourselves in that original passion and mission.

After doing some work to help a local food pantry in 2015, we learned that menstrual health products are some of the most critical needs in our community and in so many across the nation. The need is especially great because items like tampons and pads are not covered by benefit programs like SNAP. What really shocked us is that women and girls — particularly those in communities of color —miss work and school because they don’t have the supplies they need. And we wanted to help.

“Girls Helping Girls. Period.” was supposed to be a fun name for a party we hosted to collect menstrual products as a one-time deal. But the response was CRAZY! Our first efforts brought in 50,000 items that we turned into one-year supply packages for almost 200 families. They were so grateful, and we had so much fun, that we just kept at it. And we’ve never looked back.

As we’ve grown, we’ve found we can do the most good by partnering with community-based agencies. We offer large quantities of menstrual products that allow their clients to know they are supported for more than just a day or a cycle. We also provide educational programming for all ages/genders through our workshops. And we support and lead efforts to create lasting change in the hope that, someday, we won’t have to do this work at all.

WHO WE ARE

Girls Helping Girls. Period. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization started by two New Jersey sisters, Emma and Quinn, and their mom, Elise. GHGP started as a limited campaign of the girls’ first volunteer group, Small Acts. When the girls were just 11 and 14, Girls Helping Girls. Period. took on a life of its own. They asked guests at a neighborhood party to bring a box of pads or tampons as a “gift” they would donate. Not only did their friends bring donations, but word spread, an article was written, and within a few weeks, the family’s house was filled with boxes!

The “girls” of Girls Helping Girls. Period. now sit on the Board of the organization, which their mom, Elise, runs as Executive Director.

In the US, period products can cost more than $75/person annually, an amount that can easily overwhelm a struggling person or family. GHGP donates ample supplies of period products to food pantries, social services organizations, and emergency outreach/community groups.

We offer student workshops that teach menstrual management and advocacy and provide education on best practices in schools and the workplace. We support efforts to destigmatize periods and make menstrual products as normalized and readily available as toilet paper.

Read our Social Impact Report