There are many choices for menstrual products and each person should have a variety of options. Through their local distributions, the Days for Girls Grove City PA Team offers these product choices to their community: disposable pads and tampons, menstrual cups, and the Days for Girls kit. Recently, we’ve added “Smart Packs” to that list of options.
When we first distributed products to our local community, we noticed that some people hesitated because they thought it was for people who could not otherwise afford menstrual pads. Talking to community members and educating them about the benefits of washable pads has brought us some insights that have changed the way we approach distributions. First, we offer our products to anyone and everyone. There are no “qualifications” for receiving products from us. This only went so far in dispelling the myth that washable pads were only for certain economic classes. Second, we emphasize the environmental impact of eliminating the use of disposable menstrual products. When framed as a planet saving choice, more people were willing to give the washable pads or menstrual cups a try. But there was still a barrier to taking a full kit. Some people recognized the work that went into sewing the washable pads and were hesitant to take a full kit because they weren’t sure they would like it. They didn’t want to waste our efforts or have to put something in the landfill that was meant to be reusable.
Through our Days for Girls network, we knew other teams were coming up against similar issues. A solution emerged in the DfG USA group chat, “Smart Packs”. These packs help people try washable pads before committing to an entire kit. I highly recommend this type of distribution for teams wanting to reach out to their local community.
Below is a picture of the items the Grove City team includes in the Smart Pack: One shield, four liners, a trifold pamphlet that includes menstrual health information, a quick guide to washing the pads in a washing machine, and the DfG care and use card shown here with the had washing directions facing up (the back side is an ovulation chart).
Washing machine directions are not typically included in a DfG standard kit as these kits were designed with the idea that the user would be handwashing and drying the kit in the sun. Our local kit users are using a washing machine and we have heard from them that it helps to have an extra set of washable pads so that they can do one load of period laundry at the end of their period instead of having to wash in the middle of their period. The addition of a Smart Pack to their standard kit is a great solution.
Below is a picture of how these items are packaged for distribution. Often we include another piece of paper with our team information on it so people can contact us to get a full kit. In our distributions at Slippery Rock University, we have included the information about where to get a full kit or another Smart Pack on campus.
Period Pastor Pad 