We need more tampons at the food pantry

A colleague asked me to fill in for him for a few months at his volunteer job. It was his shift serving at the local food pantry one day a week for two hours.

I like to help people. I had the time. Why not?

People would come to the window. I would check to see when they were last served by the pantry (you can only go once a month), and I would fill their bag with items such as peanut butter, tuna, noodles, day old bread and other odds and ends.

It felt good. I liked chatting with the people that came to the window. It certainly made me feel thankful for my life.

Two big things happened during this experience.

Everyday People make a Difference

On this blog, I talk a lot about how I learn the most from everyday people. I might learn from famous authors, scientists, movies and more, but it's the everyday people that intrigue me the most. I think it's becasue I can see a piece of myself in all of them. I can relate to them from my own lense and world perspective. They are real.

As I greeted each person that approached the desk for food (FOOD!), I saw them, but I didn't really see them. I didn't know them. I didn't know their struggle. I didn't know their life situation. I just knew that at this moment, they had to approach a stranger and ask for a life necessity. The least I could do was greet them with a friendly hello and smile.

Then, this happened.

Someone I knew came to the window. It was a non-traditional student from the local college that I was teaching courses at about journalism. She was my student.

I was floored. How could a student attending a local, private college need food so badly that she came to the pantry? Why didn't I realize that she needed help? Why didn't I know more about her story?

We talked briefly, and she had been sidelined by a divorce and a health issue. She needed some help. I filled up her bag and wished her well. She walked out the door, and I haven't seen her since. I have no idea what happened to her.

But that moment changed my perspective forever, and if I ever have the chance to see her again, I would let her know that her struggle is helping other people, because I, as one person, feel a greater responsibility to invest in my community and my neighbors. I want to step up my contributions to the world because of everyday people like her.

We do and can all make a difference. You never know how you will contribute to our world to make it a better place. It might be money, but it might be a visit to the food pantry.

We need more tampons!

Another thing that stood out to me while I worked at the food pantry: it was mostly women seeking assistance. And women have menstrual cycles. It doesn't matter if they are rich or poor. Crazy, right?!

So, if you are a homeless female, you still have a menstrual cycle. You still need tampons.

But where can you find help for this? If you are struggling so much that you need food, how do you have the resources to afford this necessity? They are not cheap. I hate buying them.

Whenever these items were available at the food pantry, they were gone in a flash. Women would approach the desk and whisper to me, "Do you have any female products?" We didn't always have them. They were only there randomly if someone donated them. It was heartbreaking.

Head. Smack. This was a need. I wanted to kick myself for never thinking about this.

This is part of being a woman, and I shouldn't have been so naive. But, this experience inspired me to spread the word, and I share this story with many women in my life (and men too, but mostly women).

Now I am sharing it with you, and I want you to share it with others.

We need tampons. And compassion. And understanding. And less judgement.

This fall, I am hosting a party in my backyard with some friends, and I am asking everyone to bring pads or tampons. It's a tampon party. Sounds funny, but it's really not.

It's not funny at all. There is nothing funny about getting your period and not having a tampon. But there is something incredible about a group of women gathering to help others.

Each and everyday I learn something new. This experience was priceless, and it keeps on giving.

My colleague had no idea what happened to me when I covered for him for a few months, and just like my student, he made a difference.

We all make a difference.