I am always honored when I have the opportunity to use my platform for the greater social good. Even though I happen to have an audience , I sincerely believe that every single one of us can take time and thought to create change that can better our country. The particular cause I want to tell you about is effecting hundreds of thousands of young ladies. It’s hurting our daughters.

Is it hurting our actual daughters? Maybe not literally. But, as a mom, I believe in a village; they are ALL our daughters.

Most of my readers are female. Imagine that you are back in middle school (or even elementary school). You have started your period. A coming of age, unavoidable, physiological event has arrived and is one of the biggest landmarks of adolescence.

The problem? You don’t have access to hygiene products.

So, ladies, imagine you are at this already major crossroads into womanhood. You are in a vulnerable, insecure, and uncomfortable state- and now you are having to forfeit school and extracurricular activities because you aren’t afforded the most simple of necessities.

Nearly 1 in 5 American girls have missed school due to a lack of period protection.

1 in 5. That is staggering. There is a lot of need in our country. We are flooded with everything from national hunger campaigns to small GoFundMe pages all over social media. It can be easy to forget about things like period poverty. This is something that we can fix if we choose not to ignore it.

That’s why Always is committed to helping #EndPeriodPoverty by sparking conversation and taking action. In the U.S., Always is teaming up with Feeding America, a long-standing partner, on a mission to donate 15 million period products to girls in need this school year. In Canada alone, Always has a goal to donate over 1.5 million pads to Canadian school girls through schools that support the Always Puberty And Confidence Education Program. Retailers like Dollar General are supporting the cause by partnering with Always on this mission.

So, what can we do to help?

• Join the conversation, and raise awareness of the issue in North America.
• Post a throwback school photo in social media, tagging @Always (@Always_brand on Instagram) and using the hashtag #EndPeriodPoverty, to trigger a donation of one month’s supply of Always pads to girls in need, through Feeding America in the U.S. and schools that support the Always Puberty and Confidence Education Program in Canada (before 8/20/18 11:59 PM EST).
• Purchase Always Pads from Dollar General and trigger a donation of product to North America school girls in need (before September 9th). Find your nearest Dollar General here.

For 35 years, Always had been championing girls’ confidence. The Always Puberty & Confidence education programs reach more than 17 million girls annually and in just the past 10 years, Always’ product access programs have delivered more than 80 million pads to girls who need them most around the world. I am a huge advocate for social corporate responsibility, and I truly support this mission.

Please help us make sure that no more girls have to miss school because of something as natural as their period. Help us keep the conversation alive and please help us #EndPeriodPoverty.