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

This week at The Bushnell, about 200 volunteers lined up to fill hundreds of tote bags with feminine hygiene products. 

“It is always wonderful to feel the support of the community behind our mission and vision,” Dignity Grows President Jennifer Tolman said.

Dignity Grows’ mission is to end period poverty. The national nonprofit was founded in Hartford five years ago and has since expanded to nearly 30 other states.

“The Hartford community served as a wonderful model for how this direct hygiene support can make a difference for those in need,” Tolman said.

One-third of American women experience a lack of access to menstrual hygiene products due to financial constraints, according to data collected by Dignity Grows. Black and Hispanic women experience higher rates of period poverty at 46% and 32%, compared to white women at 33%.

The numbers also show that not having period products at arm's reach can cause disruptions in a woman’s daily routine like going to work or school.

“Having access to basic hygiene items to get you through school, to get you through work is all about letting you know there is a community there that supports your needs, that support exists and that it is reliable," Dignity Grows National Operations Associate Becca Carroll said.

In the Greater Hartford area, Dignity Grows works with 100 community partners, including domestic violence agencies, food pantries, public schools and first responders to provide tote bags in the community.

“It feels incredible to be able to give back,” Kara Preston of Klingberg Family Centers said.

Preston said because of the collaboration between Klingberg Family Centers and Dignity Grows, the organization in New Britain was able to provide menstrual products as a new offering for families in the city.

“We haven't been able to do this in the past, so we are really excited to be able to offer that to folks in the community,” Preston said.

Dignity Grows was awarded an NBCUniversal Local Impact Grant in 2023. With the funds, the organization was able to provide 2,000 tote bags in the Hartford area, bringing the total number of bags given out in the capitol city to 17,500.

“Our entire ethos and purpose is to provide access to basic hygiene items, at a consistent and reliable basis,” Carroll said.

This year, the organization is on track to distribute over 25,000 free hygiene totes in the Hartford area. Nationally, Dignity Grows supports over 51,000 women and girls each year.

NBCUniversal is accepting applications from nonprofits for 2024. This year, more than $227,000 is available in funds to help organizations thrive. The deadline is April 19. Find more information here.