Nearly 1 in 5 American Girls Have Missed School Due to Lack of Period Protection1: Always® Joins Forces with Gina Rodriguez & Feeding America® to Help #EndPeriodPoverty and Keep Girls in School
Always Raises Awareness of the Issue and Aims to Donate 15 Million2
Period Products to U.S. Girls in Need
CINCINNATI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The most recent Always® Confidence & Puberty Survey reveals that nearly
one in five American girls have either left school early or missed
school entirely because they did not have access to period products.1
Missed school equals missed opportunities and a drop in confidence. It’s
a simple equation.
The lack of access due to economic factors is often referred to as
“period poverty” and it impacts girls and women around the world. It can
be especially damaging at puberty, when school interactions are crucial
to a girl’s development. That’s why Always, the leader in global
feminine care, is committed to help #EndPeriodPoverty by sparking
conversation and taking action. Teaming up with Feeding America®, a
long-standing partner, Always is on a mission to donate an additional 15
million period products2 this school year through the Feeding
America network of food banks through their school pantry programs and
other partner programs, which provide food, toiletries and personal care
products to kids who are most in need.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Always in their continued
commitment to empowering girls through puberty,” said Catherine Davis,
Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Feeding America. “Through
our research, we know that many families we serve not only struggle to
put food on the table, but also struggle to afford basic non-food
household goods including period products. We are grateful for Always
and this donation, which is expected to be the single largest donation
of period products Feeding America has ever received.”
At puberty, a girl’s confidence plummets3, with the onset of
menstruation marking the lowest moment for many girls. But the drop in
confidence is so much worse for girls that lack access to period
protection. It can force her to miss out on important
confidence-building activities in the classroom, on the field, in
extra-curricular school programs or the lab, and limit her potential far
beyond puberty. While lack of access to period products is typically
associated with girls in other countries, period poverty isn’t just
someone else’s problem. It’s happening right here in the United States.
To shed light on an issue many Americans are unaware of, and chip away
at this barrier to girls’ education, Always is joining forces with Gina
Rodriguez, actress and passionate advocate for girls’ education.
“I am passionate about empowering women and girls to feel confident and
reach their fullest potential through their education, and it hurts my
heart that there are so many young women who are not receiving a full
education due to a lack of access to feminine hygiene products. I am
very proud to partner with Always on their mission to help
#EndPeriodPoverty and ensure these young women are not missing critical
academic opportunities that are crucial to building a sustainable
future.”
For 35 years, Always has been championing girls’ confidence. Always’
Puberty & Confidence education programs reach more than 17 million girls
annually and their product access programs have provided more than 80
million pads to girls in need around the world in the past 10 years
alone. On top of this, the Always #LikeAGirl movement has been driving
societal change to help girls everywhere keep their confidence at
puberty and beyond. This new effort to help #EndPeriodPoverty is the
brand’s next evolution in its commitment to make puberty a moment that
propels girls forward into a confident womanhood.
“Always’ mission is rooted in building girls’ confidence, which we know
takes a hit at puberty,” said Jen Davis, President of Global Feminine
Care at Procter & Gamble. “Education is a huge driver of girls’
confidence and when we learned that nearly one in five girls in the U.S.
are missing school because they don’t have period protection, we saw the
need to expand our current efforts. Our goal is not only to help provide
access to period products for girls in need, but also spark a national
conversation to #EndPeriodPoverty and keep girls focused on reaching
their full potential.”
Join Always and Gina Rodriguez to help #EndPeriodPoverty and keep girls
in school and confident. Here’s how you can help:
- Join the conversation, and raise awareness of the issue in the U.S.
-
Post a throwback school photo on social media, tagging @Always
(@Always_brand on Instagram) and using the hashtag #EndPeriodPoverty,
to trigger a month’s supply4 of Always product to Feeding
America (post must be before August 21, 2018). -
Purchase Always from July 29 – September 8 to trigger an Always
donation of one product to girls in need through Feeding America.
To find out more, visit www.Always.com.
Footnotes
1The Always Confidence and Puberty Wave VI Study, Nov.
2017; based on females aged 16-24 years old.
2For every Always Pads pack purchased between 7/29/2018 and
9/8/2018, Always will donate one pad to U.S. school girls through
Feeding America. Estimated donation of 15 million pads is based on
expected sales. Actual donation will be determined by actual product
sales.
3The Always Confidence & Puberty Wave V Study,
Mar. 2017; based on females aged 16-24 years old.
4For every throwback picture posted tagging @Always or
@Always_Brand and using the hashtag #EndPeriodPoverty, Always will
donate one month’s supply (twelve pads), to U.S. school girls through
Feeding America. Research indicates twelve pads is the average number of
pads used in one menstrual cycle.
About Always
Always®, the world’s leader in feminine protection, offers a wide range
of feminine pads, wipes and liners designed to fit different body types,
period flows and preferences. For over 35 years, Always has been
empowering millions of girls globally through puberty and confidence
education, and the provision of products to girls in need. More
recently, the Always #LikeAGirl campaign has furthered these efforts by
helping tackle key societal barriers to girls’ confidence. Together,
Always believes we can create a world where puberty is a moment that
propels girls forward into confident womanhood. Please visit www.always.com
for more information.
In 2016, Always was proud to announce that all feminine care owned
production sites have achieved zero manufacturing waste to landfill.
Please visit http://us.pg.com/sustainability/environmental-sustainability/focused-on/waste
for more information.
About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest
portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®,
Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®,
Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®,
Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G
community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide.
Please visit http://www.pg.com
for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.
Contacts
Lisa Rifenburg, 1-646-500-7615
Lisa.Rifenburg@mslgroup.com
