Every Woman Deserves Dignity. Period.

This week, Dignity Period, a volunteer organization that works to create access to feminine personal hygiene for women around Oxford, partnered with Epicure Day Spa to host an event at Pure Barre Oxford. Women were invited to come enjoy a class at Pure Barre followed by a spa night with shopping, food and beverages. 

As one of Dignity Period’s largest supporters, Epicure printed out napkins and invited Dignity Period founders, Betty Bloom and Kate Roos, to come speak to women about their organization, their mission and how Oxonians can help contribute. 

Epicure recently became a drop-off location for Dignity Period where products or donations can be dropped off and later handed to those in need. Only being a few months since the start of this organization, there is still many more goals they hope to accomplish.

Dignity Period distributes products to schools, social welfare organizations, public health agencies, food pantries and public housing residents… any path they can find to reach the women in need of these essential products. Currently, they are supplying feminine products to several agencies around town.

“There’s been a national trend in girls that are homeless that don’t have the money to buy supplies and are missing school four to five days every month,” said co-founder Betty Bloom. “It’s so sad to us that many are blind to the fact that these same issues are happening right here in Oxford, and many are so unaware of the poverty going on all around us.”

This absenteeism rate in school girls every month is a problem that could affect their futures if not taken care of. According to Bloom, many homeless women or those in poverty cannot afford the average $10 cost for these products per month and Public Assistance or “SNAP” cannot be used to help with the purchase of feminine hygiene products leaving these women without. No access to the proper hygiene products often leads women to feelings of embarrassment or shame… a feeling Bloom said no woman deserves.

Dignity Period hopes to expand their reach to women in need by broadening their product distribution to undergarments and incontinence products. Another integral to Dignity’s future mission is an educational component breaking down the stigma that goes along with talking about women’s health, menstruation and personal hygiene. Dignity Period hopes to see a continued impact in their future campaigns to come and overall happiness and health of all women in the area.

“All women deserve dignity. Period.”

By Megan Myers, a student of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media. She can be reached at mlmyers1@go.olemiss.edu.