NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Montgomery County is tackling period poverty by stocking public restrooms with free tampons and pads.
“If one resident cannot avail themselves to basic period products, that's not good for me. And so I wanted to ensure that we expanded this policy,” said Jamila Winder, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.
Winder says the idea stemmed from conversations with members of the state delegation, and Women's Commission, about how the county’s policy worked and was enforced.
“And what we found was there was a real opportunity to expand our part in reducing period poverty,” she said.
Period poverty is the inability to afford to buy menstrual products. A 2021 study of U.S. teenagers found that 23% struggled to afford period products. Some young women have reported using newspaper or used napkins to manage their menstrual cycles.
People may think of Montgomery County as an affluent place to live, says Winder, but she has friends and neighbors who must choose between buying pads or tampons and buying groceries.
“It really is sobering, and it's just such a simple thing,” she said. “And it's a simple thing that we can do as Montgomery County to expand this program and have consistency.”
Previously, the county had stocked some of their facilities with the products and made them available for 25 cents apiece. Now all 269 county-owned bathrooms — including those in parks, courthouses and historic sites, as well as public health centers in Norristown, Pottstown and Willow Grove — will have dispensers.
Winder says it removes a barrier for women who are struggling to find or pay for these necessities: “If they're doing business in the county, or if they're at one of our parks with their children, [they know] that they can access those products free of charge, and we don't ask any questions.”
Similar work is in progress at the state level, too. The Pennsylvania House has passed bills that would make the products eligible under SNAP and WIC and have them available for free in schools. Both bills are with the Senate. The most recent state budget puts $3 million toward menstrual products for schools.