WE NEED YOUR HELP, 

A period should end a sentence not a girls education- Melissa Burton 

No more secrets Mind Body Spirit Inc. Nomoresecretsmbs.org Has independently created the ONLY Feminine Hygiene Bank in the city of Philadelphia for school aged youth and their familiies living in poverty. 

WHY ... ?? Because we have seen its devastating effects first hand. Girls who live in poverty are missing multiple days of school which directly effects grades and standardized test scores, using their bodies as a bargaining tool for something as basic as a tampon or pad which puts them at risk for acquiring sexually transmitted infections, becoming victims of sex trafficking or an unplanned teenage pregnancy. THIS HAS TO END!

We have personally visited, reached out to via phone calls, emails, texts etc... to  school officials (Charter, public, Catholic and Community Schools) City council members, Clergy, Community members and other key figures to create more inclusive policies to end menstrual inequality in our schools and community for the last three years sadly to no avail! Regrettably the Stigmas and Silence towards a females menstruation heavily outweighs the Solutions. 

It has been disheartening to say the least and we have seen the epidemic increase drastically. 

On average we are doing approximately 45-50 deliveries a week in PHILA, NEW JERSEY and DELAWARE to individuals and sibling groups ages 8 and up and the needs are constantly growing. In contrast the resources and supports are obsolete so our organization is constantly seeking donations and vigilantly spreading awareness and education about this massive disparity in our communities. 

We need to  drastically increase our #EPP CALL TO ACTION and collection campaign. 

#EPP addresses  the citywide deficits in resources education and awareness in regards to period stigma and period poverty. Oftentimes when we think of poverty, food insecurity and homelessness come to mind. What we don’t necessarily think about is the inability to afford toiletries and items such as tampons and pads and the reality is, people are often too ashamed or embarrassed to bring up the topic of menstrual cycles. Forty million women and girls around the world are affected by period poverty, and the silence must come to an end. 

The Reality is .. 

Young ladies have reported running away from their homes selling their bodies, stealing, skipping school, cutting classes and using unhealthy methods such as using stuffing out of stuffed animals, old rags they have found or socks etc. during this time of the month just to survive. Taking birth control bills nonstop to cease their menses lol together and using one tampon or pad for hours to multiple days causing severe health issues. 

Due to the stigmatized perceptions our community has towards feminine hygiene products and the menstruation cycle in general it impacts the health and wellness of girls of all ages.  There are currently No other ongoing programs that assist low income Students living at home with Feminine Hygiene products.  

We NEED your HELP!  Contact your city, state and federal officials to change the laws now:

Contact city officials and urge them to Change the laws in Philadelphia include a line budget item for free menstruaul supplies for school age youth. 

Contact your State officials and urge them to Change the laws in Pennsylvania to include mandatory free menstrual supplies for schoo aged youth. 

MOST IMPORTANTLY RALLY AND SUPPORT >>>>

Menstration for all Act of 2019 HR 1882  portion of the BILL to provide free feminine hygiene products to school aged children ! 

One of the biggest defenses against period poverty is to start a conversation and stop the stigma.

Laws and Policies need to change but until that happens, we need donations, drop off sites and volunteers as we are continuously collecting feminine hygiene supplies such as sanitary napkins, tampons, wipes, soap and disposal underwear for our school aged young ladies that cannot afford those items that we take for granted.