Public Library partners with Strawberry Week for its annual “Flowvember” menstrual product drive

Courtesy of Kansas City Public Library

The Kansas City Public Library and Strawberry Week have teamed up once again. Throughout the month of November, all library locations are accepting boxes of liners, pads, tampons, and menstrual cups, as well as individual items in their wrappers, in designated bins for Flowvember.

Flowvember is a yearly campaign to raise awareness about the effects of “period poverty” — that is, what happens when members of our community who do not have or cannot afford menstrual supplies. 

Strawberry week, a non profit that works to distribute free menstrual products to period havers in Kansas and Missouri, advocates for clean, sterile, and free products as well as education for under resourced areas and the general public. Without access to these necessary products, individuals are more likely to turn to unsafe measures such as using socks, rolled up toilet paper, and reusing soiled product. These can lead to serious illness or infection, and can cause anxiety or depression in the user.

Kansas and Missouri are among the many states that enforce a higher tax rate on period products, labeling them as non-essential items. The existing programs that assist lower income families with basic needs, such as SNAP and food stamps, do not include period products.

Period poverty affects nearly a quarter of all students (up from 1 in 5 in 2019), with lower income students and students of color being particularly affected. A quarter of Black (23%) and Latina (24%) people with periods strongly agree that they’ve struggled to afford period products in the past year.

Donated items will be distributed throughout Kansas City, making them available to those who may lack access to essential menstrual management resources.

Find Kansas City Public Library locations near you to donate until Nov. 30. You can also donate directly to Strawberry Week on their website or drop boxes year round.