Pads, tampons and other menstrual supplies aren’t cheap. Many low-income people struggle to pay for them, and they aren’t typically covered by government assistance programs like SNAP food benefits or Medicaid. Although some states have dropped sales taxes on menstrual products in recent years, 20 states still tax them.
Florida dropped the sales tax in 2017. But many still find the cost prohibitive, says Bree Wallace, a reproductive rights activist in Tampa. “I think [menstrual care] is one of the most overlooked parts to things that people need,” she said.
“A lot of people think of bigger ones like housing, food, things like that, so this is one that is often forgotten about, but affects millions of people just in the U.S. every year,” she said.
Having enough supplies is critical for people to stay healthy and comfortable during their menstrual periods. To combat this issue, known as period poverty, Wallace has begun installing pantries stocked with free supplies in public locations in the Tampa area. Bree Wallace set up the first Tampa Period Pantry last August outside a salon and boutique in her neighborhood, Seminole Heights, called the Disco Dolls Studio.
The wooden box somewhat resembles a Little Free Library , where neighbors can swap used books, but it’s painted pink and stocked with tampons, pads, sanitary wipes and heating patches that anyone in need can take for free. Thanks to word of mouth and social media attention about that first pantry, Wallace .