About Dignity Matters

Dignity Matters provides women and girls who are homeless or living in poverty the monthly menstrual care and undergarments they need to live with dignity. Because menstrual care is expensive, rarely donated, and can't be purchased with SNAP/Food Stamps or WIC, they are the only reliable source of these items for most of the women and girls they serve.

Dignity Matters supports 14,000 women each month through a network of 160 nonprofit partners (including shelters, food pantries, and schools) in Massachusetts.

Period Poverty Effects

Period poverty like other forms of poverty can be debilitating. It can take different forms and has emotional, physical, and mental health effects on individuals. More than half of the world’s population are menstruating people. Negative experiences of menstruating can lead to discomfort, distraction, absenteeism and even dropping out of school. School drop-outs have difficulty entering the job market and if they do, they find themselves in low pay jobs without security, predisposing them to economic and social poverty. (Source: Journal of Global Health Reports )

Did you know?

-14-18% of women attending state colleges are homeless and lack funds for feminine hygiene

-70% of folks visiting the food pantries have no extra income to dedicate to feminine hygiene products

For more information: About Dignity Matters