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Dignity Grows Launches Dignity Grows University

admin — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 00:03:32 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dignity Grows is proud to announce the launch of Dignity Grows University (DGU), a new national learning forum debuting in 2026 that advances menstrual equity through education, advocacy, and leadership development. Designed as a continuing education-style program, DGU creates a shared learning home for individuals and organizations committed to ending Period Poverty through informed, data-driven action.

Dignity Grows University offers two complementary program modules. University Courses are two-hour live virtual academic seminars, open to a national audience and featuring guest lectures, expert panels, facilitated dialogue, and applied learning. Courses will vary annually to reflect emerging research and evolving needs in the menstrual equity field. Participants can earn the Period Equity Advocate Certification, recognizing a strong foundation in research, systems-level understanding, and advocacy practice.

The inaugural 2026 Dignity Grows University Course offerings explore critical dimensions of menstrual equity, including current data and lived experience, cultural traditions and taboos surrounding menstruation, the intersection of Period Poverty and education, the private and relational impacts of unmet menstrual needs, and the role of technology and STEM in advancing solutions.

In addition to open-enrollment courses, Dignity Grows University introduces Learning Labs, skills-based sessions designed exclusively for Dignity Grows Chapter Leaders. Learning Labs focus on core competencies such as fundraising strategy, volunteer engagement, strategic communication, and effective committee facilitation.

Dignity Grows University also extends the impact of the National Summit on Period Poverty, serving as a year-round platform for engagement and collaboration between biennial Summit events. All attendees of the 2025 National Summit on Period Poverty are invited to join the inaugural 2026 cohort at no cost, reinforcing the Summit’s role as the cornerstone of an ongoing national learning community.

Through Dignity Grows University, the organization deepens its commitment to education as a driver of systemic change, strengthening leadership, expanding knowledge, and equipping advocates to advance menstrual equity across communities nationwide.

Interested in enrolling? Contact help@dignitygrows.org to join the priority list to receive registration information.

Interested in teaching or presenting? Contact jennifer@dignitygrows.org.

Interested in sponsoring or partnering? Contact jill@dignitygrows.org. We will work with you to build a partnership tailored to your interests.

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When the Heat Rises: How Summer Weather Affects Menstrual Health

admin — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Summer’s Hidden Challenge

Menstrual health does not pause for the weather. High heat disrupts hormones, intensifies cramps, and leads to dehydration, all of which make cycles more difficult to manage.

The Physical Toll

Longer, heavier bleeding, heightened bloating, and increased fatigue are common in extreme heat. For those already struggling with access to products, this adds yet another layer of hardship.

Program Gaps in the Summer

Summer often brings reduced programming for nonprofits and schools, leaving women without the same safety nets available during the academic year. This means that at the very moment when symptoms may be more severe, support is thinner.

Year-Round Commitment

Organizations such as Dignity Grows stress that access to menstrual supplies cannot be seasonal. Equity means continuous care, so women can face both their cycles and the summer heat with confidence and health.

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From Menarche to Menopause

admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 22:15:05 +0000

The First Period: Setting the Tone

Menstruation begins a long relationship with health, dignity, and self-image. For girls experiencing their first periods, a lack of products can create fear, shame, and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Instead of celebrating a natural milestone, many begin their menstrual years with anxiety and secrecy.

Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Access challenges often intensify in adolescence. Girls who cannot afford products may miss school, avoid sports or social activities, and feel alienated from peers. In young adulthood, when financial independence is just beginning, the cost of products can mean tough choices between groceries, transportation, or menstrual care. These disruptions chip away at academic and career opportunities.

Adulthood, Pregnancy, and Postpartum

As women move into adult years, consistent access to products becomes even more critical. Period Poverty during pregnancy and postpartum recovery can lead to infection risk and physical discomfort. For working women, it translates into missed shifts, lower confidence at work, and financial setbacks.

Menopause and Beyond

Even menopause does not mark the end of the story. Perimenopause brings irregular, often heavier cycles, while post-menopause health may be shaped by years of limited care. The cumulative stress and consequences of Period Poverty can leave long-lasting marks.

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Period Poverty In The U.S. Is On The Rise, Worsening Education And Economic Outcomes

admin — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 19:47:51 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Period Poverty In The U.S. Is On The Rise, Worsening Education And Economic Outcomes

A new study from Dignity Grows and the Period Poverty Institute of America shows nearly half of U.S. women’s daily lives, careers, and learning opportunities are impacted by Period Poverty.

HARTFORD, CONN. – NOVEMBER 17, 2025 – Dignity Grows, the leading organization combating Period Poverty through direct product support and data-driven social policy change, released a new report that shows Period Poverty is on the rise in America, with significant and numerous impacts on women’s lives. The study found an astonishing 42 percent of women in the U.S. have experienced Period Poverty in their lifetime, compared to 35 percent in 2023, resulting in missed school days, job loss, and health issues.

The report examines the broader impacts of Period Poverty on women’s lives and prosperity beyond the effects on their physical and mental health. Dignity Grows defines Period Poverty as the lack of or uncertain access to basic menstrual hygiene products due to financial constraints. Not only does Period Poverty significantly impact the lives of women experiencing it, but the research from Dignity Grows also indicates there are detrimental impacts on the economy and the workforce.

A Staggering Economic Loss

“Our conservative estimate is that the U.S. economy loses at least $60 million per year from hourly wage earners experiencing Period Poverty,” said Jennifer Tolman, President and COO of Dignity Grows. “That figure doesn’t consider salaried workers or the countless women who are prevented from making educational and career advancements resulting from Period Poverty. We know the total economic loss to be much more staggering.”

Research shows that, of women experiencing Period Poverty within the last 24 months, more than half (56%) reported that their performance at work was affected, with 42% of women stating their ability to attend work was impacted. Similarly, school attendance was negatively impacted for 33% of respondents.

Period Poverty Expected to Skyrocket

This is a burgeoning problem: when women cannot access or afford menstrual products, their livelihoods and careers are impacted, further exacerbating the issue at hand. With rising prices and recent cuts to benefits such as SNAP, the number of women —and by extension, their households—experiencing Period Poverty will increase.

“There is an absolute and undeniable correlation between food insecurity and Period Poverty. The same exact conditions that cause a person to not know where their next meal is coming from also influence how and why women are unable to obtain menstrual products,” said Jason Jakubowski, Chair of Policy Engagement and Advocacy at Feeding America. “If people no longer have the funds to purchase food or menstrual products at grocery stores, we will be looking at a legitimate crisis. Without menstrual products, a woman can’t leave her home to get to work; missed work and wages solidify her family’s instability. In our business, this is a real-life nightmare scenario.”

Dignity Grows is working to end poverty with a three-pronged approach: research, such as this report; direct product support for more than 56,000 women per year; and advocacy for thoughtful policy change.

The full report is available online. To learn more about how Dignity Grows is working to understand and combat period poverty, visit their website at dignitygrows.org.

ABOUT DIGNITY GROWS

Dignity Grows is a national nonprofit movement that was founded in 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut, to address the hidden health crisis of Period Poverty. Its mission is to eliminate Period Poverty in America through direct support, research, and social policy change. The Dignity Grows model ensures direct hygiene support for 56,000 women and girls each year through its signature “Hope in a Bag” and “Hope in a Backpack” programs. The Dignity Grows network now includes more than 5,000 professionals, volunteers, partners, and supporters. Dignity Grows hosts the biennial National Summit on Period Poverty, uniting cross-sector changemakers to build actionable solutions to Period Poverty. In 2024, Dignity Grows launched the Period Poverty Institute of America to combat this public health crisis through data-driven systemic change, advocacy, and providing essential support to those in need. For more information, visit dignitygrows.org.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Casey Murphy, Arrow

casey@arrowatwork.com

Download Dignity Grows Fact Sheet

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Petersburg middle and high school girls getting free feminine hygiene supplies

admin — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 21:42:30 +0000

By Sarah Chakales
Published: Aug. 21, 2024, 12onyourside.com
PETERSBURG, Va. (WWBT)

The “Hope in a Backpack” initiative is designed to help girls miss fewer school days.

“Period poverty, although often overlooked, is a growing public health crisis that affects over one-third of American women and girls,” Dignity Grows President and COO Jennifer Tolman said. “And it limits or creates barriers to access to monthly menstrual health products.”

The nonprofit is partnering with Bon Secours, Communities in Schools, Petersburg City Public Schools and other community partners to supply personal hygiene bags to all girls in the school division from 7th to 12th grade.

“That’s a thousand bags,” Tolman added.

Communities in Schools Site Coordinator Kortez Dixon helped hand out the bags to Petersburg High School senior girls first.

“They were very excited. You could hear the gasps around the room like, ‘Oh my God, for real? Like, oh my God, thank you!’ They were very gracious,” Dixon said. “It put a smile on my to see how appreciative they were.”

“We know that when students don’t have access to hygiene products – in particular, menstrual hygiene products – that really limits their ability to attend school routinely and to be fully involved and engaged in learning,” Tolman said. “We knew that from the Petersburg community that this need was prevalent in the schools here.”

The bags hold about a month’s supply of six different hygiene products.

“Soap, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, hand wipes and deodorant, as well as two full packages of period products,” Tolman said. “It’s a full month’s supply of all basic hygiene needs.”

Bon Secours made the contents of the pilot program bags possible.

“We know that for a girl who is impacted by period poverty and routinely doesn’t have access to period products, she’s missing school an average of 145 total days by the end of her 12th-grade year,” Tolman said. “That’s a really significant gap in education and it really widens the gender equity gap in our schools.”

Dignity Grows said that providing students with crucial supplies in 64 areas across the country has seen chronic absenteeism among female students drop by 23%

“Removing any obstacles that are keeping our students from being successful,” Communities in Schools Director of Program Operations for Petersburg Jamaal Ellison said.

Dignity Grows and its Petersburg partners are hoping to make this a regular offering for students, but said they need the community’s financial support to make it possible.

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Local Impact Grant recipient gives out tote bags with feminine hygiene products

admin — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 18:13:32 +0000

The post Local Impact Grant recipient gives out tote bags with feminine hygiene products appeared first on Dignity Grows.

CT LIVE: The Maxi Taxi Rolls Through Hartford

admin — Wed, 14 May 2025 15:35:00 +0000

Published: May 14, 2025
Author: NBC CT

The unmistakable yellow checkered support system on wheels is an innovation of Dignity Grows that provides crucial hygiene essentials—namely period products—to women, girls, and, families in need.

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Meet the Maxi Taxi | Nonprofit provides period products to people in need

admin — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 15:27:00 +0000

Author: fox61.com

Published: 5:51 PM EDT April 17, 2025

Updated: 5:51 PM EDT April 17, 2025

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The Menstrual Equity Act is a great start, but more work needs to be done

admin — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 18:05:00 +0000

Hope in a Bag – Dignity Grows Totes provides a month’s supply of hygiene products and period necessities, distributed through partner social service agencies that identify the needs of their unique populations

SOURCE: CT Mirror – By Rebecca Carroll, Flagship Operations Associate for Dignity Grows

Amaia is a 17-year-old student whose family moved to Hartford from Puerto Rico two years ago. When she started school, she worried about not having books and supplies. Her family needed money for food and to live in the apartment. When her period came, she had no money to buy Maxi pads and didn’t even know how or where to buy them. She missed a lot of school. Embarrassed, Amaia felt students laughing at her. Amaia wanted an everyday school life. On Sept. 1, all public schools in grades 3–12, as well as colleges, universities, and homeless shelters, must provide free menstrual products in women/girls restrooms, all-gender bathrooms, and at least one men’s restroom. This directly resulted from the Menstrual Equity Act, passed in 2023 to address Period Poverty. Connecticut is one of six states in the United States that mandate free period products to be placed in school restrooms. The goal of this law is to improve the lives of students and residents of the menstruating population who cannot afford to buy period products. Period Poverty is the lack of, or uncertain access to, basic menstrual hygiene products due to financial constraints. It is a health equity issue and a public health crisis that impacts the whole person and household: mental health, interpersonal relationships, socio-economic stability, and community connections (participation in hobbies, athletics, religious occasions, etc.) There’s an inseparable link between those who menstruate and their overall well-being. Nearly 36% of Americans who menstruate struggle to pay for period products — having to continuously make hard decisions between buying food versus tampons or pads. Furthermore, if a woman or girl cannot access these essential products, she may choose to stay home from school or work. This places a monumental financial and educational burden, impacting self-esteem. Dignity Grows proudly contributed to the forward-thinking legislation aimed at alleviating the financial pressure and addressing the marginalization of women and girls regarding menstrual health. Our Connecticut-based operation provides direct product support across the state and nationwide in partnership with frontline social services providers such as food pantries, homeless shelters, underserved school communities, and health clinics. The new law encourages local and regional boards of education to partner with community-based organizations or nonprofits such as ours to help provide menstrual hygiene products for school restrooms. Sustainable funding is needed to support a nonprofit organization now expected to provide for schools’ vital product needs. We emphasized the legislation must ensure uninterrupted period supplies and adequate financial resources to support organizations that take a well-researched, structured, and organized approach to providing period product resources for those in need. Students may experience relief with the Menstrual Equity Act, as their school now provides these free products. free products. However, their comfort may be short-lived, as the current funding for these hygiene necessities comes from $1.95 million from the CT Department of Health to one provider. With many Connecticut schools located in impoverished urban and town districts across the state, with majority-minority socio-economic deficit populations, where will the funding come from to help the hundreds of schools across the state that are required to provide no-cost products consistently, and how will schools accommodate this requirement in the future? While not required by law, product dispensers are anticipated to impact school systems financially. Many are unaware they are not mandated to install the dispensers, which can cost up to $400 each and are typically product-specific. This can lock a school district into needing to purchase higher-priced items and continually pose a further economic burden. State guidance and clarification are critical to ensure commercial dispenser manufacturers don’t take advantage of any confusion. Furthermore, high schools often offer only limited access to restrooms; the rise in vaping and smoking marijuana has led many schools to lock or heavily monitor access to restrooms, which decreases or negates the effectiveness of the law’s implementation. The Connecticut Department of Public Health strongly leads the way with suggestions to schools on how to ensure students do not experience stigma or shame for free access to menstrual products regardless of gender, ability, language, or socioeconomic status. The law and its implementation should align with school curricula for menstruation in sex education. Schools need this support with parental input to empower girls who experience a first-time menstrual cycle. The law is a tremendous start to embracing menstrual hygiene needs in our state. Dignity Grows looks forward to a future of true change, empowering Connecticut students to learn and grow during their periods and at all times.

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CT nonprofits tackle ‘period poverty’ as inflation strains access to menstrual products

admin — Thu, 16 May 2024 17:53:00 +0000

SOURCE: Connecticut Public Radio | By Maricarmen Cajahuaringa – Published May 16, 2024 at 12:27 PM EDT

At the young age of 23, Lineth Gonzalez, a Hartford resident, opened up about the challenges in affording menstrual products amid the current economic landscape. She said the consistent rise in prices of these essential items underscores the financial strain it imposes on women.

“I feel like every time I go to the store, the prices are pretty much going higher and higher for feminine care, it’s hard to afford, and also considering there’s a fixed tax on everything,” Gonzalez said.

Sharing her personal experience with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Gonzalez said there are additional challenges faced by individuals with certain medical conditions that require more period products. She highlighted the need for affordable access to these essential items, especially for those with medical needs.

“I can go through almost a package of like Maxi Pads, on the week that I use them,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a necessary evil, also depends on how heavy one’s menstrual would be, and the heavier it is, the more the cost becomes.”

Advocates for menstrual equity say it is crucial for health, gender equality, and human rights. The effort focuses on fair access to menstrual products, education and sanitation facilities, aiming to eradicate period poverty and enable all women to manage menstruation with dignity.

Jennifer Tolman, the president and chief operating officer of the Hartford-based nonprofit Dignity Grows, said Connecticut is one of the most expensive states to live in, further complicating access to menstrual hygiene products, especially for vulnerable communities.

“We saw these numbers really start to skyrocket during the pandemic and considerably in the years after, as well,” Tolman said.

A national survey by Dignity Grows found that period poverty affects many women, no matter their background. However, the study also showed that the problem is more common among certain racial groups. About 45.6% of Black respondents and 36.6% of Hispanic respondents said they’ve experienced period poverty. Meanwhile, 32.7% of white women surveyed reported facing period poverty in their lives.

“We’re seeing situations where households are having to make very difficult choices between food and health expenses and transportation, and we know feminine hygiene becomes their last priority,” Tolman said.

Secondary financial factors, such as limited access to stores that sell these products and transportation to get there, exacerbate the issue for households with limited resources, according to Tolman.

Janet Stolfi, the founder of the Diaper Bank of Connecticut in North Haven, has expanded its mission to include menstrual products and incontinence supplies for individuals of all ages.

Stolfi said access to menstrual products is not merely a matter of convenience; it directly impacts women’s ability to participate fully in society.

“In Connecticut, one in four teens had missed school because they didn’t have adequate supply [of period products]. We know that having an adequate supply helps folks stay in school, and access helps folks stay in work or attend work,” Stolfi said. “These items are not luxuries, they are in fact necessities, and they are things that should be readily available when and where you need and use them.”

Both organizations strive to maximize their impact through strategic partnerships and volunteer efforts to make menstrual products more accessible to those in need.

But Tolman believes the conversation around menstrual periods is still seen as taboo in society, even though they’re completely natural.

“It’s surprising that such a growing public health crisis is still shrouded in taboos and, you know, whispered stigmatization,” Tolman said. “The next generation of volunteers, philanthropists, and change-makers are normalizing this conversation and recognizing that period poverty is not a women’s issue; it’s just a basic human need.”

Gonzalez, who advocates for access and education on menstrual health due to her experience with PCOS, agrees.

“It shouldn’t be a taboo, it is something that should be taught to everyone regardless of their gender because it’s part of humanity, and that’s something no one can really stop,” Gonzalez said. “Schools should be more open to educating everyone about it, not just one period in their class throughout their four years of high school.”

Connecticut recently passed a law mandating public schools to provide menstrual products in their bathrooms to tackle period poverty. This law applies to all school levels and ensures equal access to period products. It aims to allow menstruating students to participate in school activities without feeling embarrassed or stigmatized. The law takes effect Sept. 1, 2024.

“Hopefully, it will go into effect for the coming school year, and that will make products available in public school restrooms, but again, having these products available in the home is really a game changer,” Tolman said.

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