Days for Girls International advances menstrual equity, health, dignity, and opportunity for all. We transform periods into pathways.
In Pittsburgh, our team serves as a sewing and collection center. Volunteers learn to prepare materials, sew, quality check, and package kits for shipping. Other teams in the USA send their components to us and then we quality check everything before packing. We processed over 10,000 kits in both 2022 and 2023. Over the last two years, we have partnered with Global Links to ship these kits to Bolivia and Cuba. Also in 2022, we collected and packed thousands hybrid kits (containing washable and disposable pads) to be sent to Ukrainians fleeing their homes as war erupted. In previous years we have sent kits to support people in: Ecuador, Jordan, Chad, Bolivia, Haiti, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Lebanon, and many others.
Our volunteers include, community members, members of other congregations and synagogues, college students, women in the corrections center house, and others who need community service hours.
Our current status:
Third Church pays a salary for Karie, provides $10,000 yearly to DfG, and allows us to use a large* room in the church that is dedicated for DfG use only. We also benefit from the Third Church staff who help us by accepting deliveries on days we are not meeting and who help us get items to and from the church parking lot. We purchase cardstock and the church office staff print for us at no charge. In other words, we have been spoiled by their generosity.
Moving forward:
We will continue to use Third Church as our meeting place until December (unless another opportunity presents itself sooner). Third Church will pay Karie’s salary until July 2024 or until she finds full time employment.
What we need:
We are looking for dedicated space in the Oakland/Squirrel Hill/Shadyside area so we can continue to be accessible to our volunteers who walk or take the bus. We also need an accessible bathroom on the same floor to accommodate our volunteers who cannot walk up flights of steps. And, most importantly, the space must be free.
After we secure a space:
- We will begin fundraising and adjusting our budget.
- Karie will need to find employment.
* The room is approximately 45’×30′. 1,350 square feet, the ceilings are over 12 feet so we have huge shelving. Plus, we use the hallway outside of room to line up the boxes (this is the 45’ side of the room) and we have three large closets in an adjacent hallway. Each holds 1,000 dfg kits. 1,500 – 2,000 square feet is the range we are probably looking for.
Contact Karie at Pittsburgh@daysforgirls.org if you have space to donate.
A personal note:
This work is an incredible experience. I’m heartbroken that this chapter is closing, but I am hopeful that I can continue to support Days for Girls efforts even if in a smaller way in the future. I have met amazing people in my zip code and around the world who have shared in a global movement to dignify, empower, and educate people with periods and their communities.
I am grateful for all of the people who have provided support to our team and have contributed time, talent, money, and other donations to support our efforts. We are not currently accepting donations as we look for a new space. We are simply finishing up components and packing items up to be shared with other DfG groups or to be moved with us if we find a new home.
January will mark a new era for DfG Pittsburgh and for me. I do not know what will happen, but what we have already achieved brings me hope for the future.
Period Pastor Pad 