UTICA, N.Y. (Aug. 28, 2023) - YWCA Mohawk Valley (YWCA MV) will hold the official unveiling and ribbon cutting of a brand new Period Pantry on Tuesday, September 5 at 10 a.m.

The Period Pantry is a free resource for the community providing menstruation products. The Priscilla P. Norris Fund through the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Inc. provided a grant for the construction of the pantry by Adorino Construction, Inc. and to keep it stocked in the coming months.

“Feminine hygiene products are a resource that can come with many barriers to access,” said YWCA MV CEO Dianne Stancato. “The Period Pantry is something we at YWCA MV have been working on for a while now and we are incredibly proud and excited to be able to provide this kind of support to our extended community.”

The goal of the Period Pantry is to begin combatting local period poverty, defined by period.org as “the limited or inadequate access to menstrual products or menstrual health education as a result of financial constraints or negative socio-cultural stigmas associated with menstruation.” Period poverty especially impacts access to education.

According to a survey titled State of the Period, 1 in 5 teens in the U.S. have struggled to or could not afford period products, and more than 84% have missed class time due to lack of access.

YWCA MV is on a mission to eliminate racism and empower women by eliminating barriers to essentials like menstrual products. The Period Pantry will be available 24-hours and restocked regularly. For more information, contact info@ywcamv.org.

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Members of the public are invited to join the ceremony and bring a donation of menstrual products to help fill the pantry for opening day.

YWCA MV is available for anyone experiencing domestic and/or sexual violence via our free and confidential 24-hour hotline services. Visit ywcamv.org/Chat to reach an advocate directly through our private, secure server. In Oneida County, call or text 315.797.7740 for domestic and sexual violence crisis services. In Herkimer County, call 315.866.4120 for child advocacy and adult sexual violence crisis services. For more information about YWCA MV, visit ywcamv.org.

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About YWCA Mohawk Valley
YWCA Mohawk Valley is a nonsectarian organization engaged in the mission of eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice,

 freedom, and dignity for all. In 2022, YWCA MV provided nearly 70,000 instances of service to individuals in Herkimer and Oneida Counties via such

 programs as domestic and sexual violence crisis services, violence prevention education, residential services for homeless women and children, and

 emergency shelters and transitional housing for individuals escaping violence. YWCA MV offers free and confidential help 24/7. In Oneida County, call or

 text 315.797.7740 for domestic and sexual violence crisis services. In Herkimer County, call 315.866.4120 for child advocacy and sexual violence crisis

 services. Visit ywcamv.org/Chat anytime to directly reach an advocate through a private chat server. More information about YWCA MV can be found by

 visiting ywcamv.org or by contacting Allison Flanagan at aflanagan@ywcamv.org or 315.732.2159 ext. 245.

 YWCA MV receives funding support from the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Inc. and The Women’s Fund of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Inc.