Girls Helping Girls. Period. “the party” happened in early 2015. That’s when the Joy family of South Orange, NJ, invited a few friends and neighbors to their home and asked them to bring donations of period products.

They also asked several other families to host events, and in a few months, they amassed 50,000 pads and tampons (which filled their dining room)! That March, the design team at CultHealth, an advertising agency, presented Emma and Quinn Joy with a gift of the group’s logo, and Emma promptly announced she would be called Gina. (Get it?!)

After about 18 months of continuing to collect products and donate to organizations and people in and around Essex County, NJ, Girls Helping Girls. Period. was granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in 2016.

The idea for the original collection came about after Emma Joy, then a high school freshman, did a project to benefit a local food pantry.

A reporter who wrote a feature about the work suggested to Emma and her family that their next project be to donate period supplies to the pantry because they are not covered by benefit programs like SNAP and so many people struggle to afford them.

They were shocked. And Elise, Emma’s mom, reached out to school nurses and confirmed the problem was widespread. Within weeks, Emma, along with her 6th-grade sister Quinn and their parents, Elise and Rick, decided to host that first party. One of the people they spoke to about their work was Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, a lawyer and activist who lived in their town.

Jennifer was equally shocked that period poverty affected so many families, which inspired her to submit this piece to the NY Times.

(Jennifer became a founding member of the GHGP board, wrote a book about “menstrual equity” (a widely used term she coined), and founded her own organization, Period Equity, which fights for legislation to repeal the sales tax on menstrual products across the country.) 

From the start, GHGP has collected and donated period products through an ever-expanding network of partners that includes food pantries, social services organizations, and community groups. We have found that talking about the issue is as valuable a tool in helping others; most are shocked to learn about period poverty and are quick to want to help. We have donated millions of products but also focus on bringing about systemic change through workshops, advocacy for student support through legislation, and building connections in local communities.

At first, we worked mainly by hosting events (or assisting others) and donating pads and tampons to food pantries and schools. In time, it became evident that our intention of supporting students actually undermined efforts spreading across the country to demand period products be available for free in bathrooms as part of schools’ obligation to meet students’ basic needs. We no longer put products in school bathrooms but instead work with school staff to support students who need help at home, while encouraging administrators to make an investment in their students by purchasing products and dispensers for their buildings. We advocate in NJ for the bill that would require period products in schools. Our workshops engage students, workplaces, and educators who want to learn about advocacy, sustainability, and menstrual management. And our corporate partners help us continue to make meaningful donations in and around New Jersey and elsewhere in the US.

Read our 2022 Social Impact Report for more information

As of August 2022,

2,427,571 menstrual products donated 

149 Partner Agencies