.png)
MAY 24th Through MAY 30th
ANNOUNCING A PERIOD POVERTY ADVOCACY PARTNERSHIP WITH YOUTH ENRICHMENT SERVICES
PITTSBURGH, PA - May 25, 2021- The Western PA Diaper Bank (WPDB) is providing local awareness to the global issue of Period Poverty by observing Period Poverty Awareness Week during the week of May 24th through May 30th.
The Western PA Diaper Bank acts as a trusted community-based organization, including diapers, adult incontinence products, and period supply items. According to WPDB’s Co-Founder and Executive Director, Cathy Battle, “We recognize the importance of period products in ensuring the health and providing economic stability and thus distribute period products through various channels to residents in our region. Our staff and volunteers served on the front lines of Western PA’s COVID-19 pandemic response, helping families in our communities weather the crisis.”
According to national surveys and research studies, one in four individuals struggle to secure enough period supplies to meet their needs each month due to a lack of income. Those who have experienced period poverty cannot provide these monthly products for themselves, exacerbating the vicious cycle of poverty by forcing menstruators to withdraw from daily life, losing pay, or missing educational opportunities.
Based on these economic realities, the Western PA Diaper Bank designed a period poverty advocacy program with funding from The Pittsburgh Foundation. The Western PA Period Poverty Advocacy Project incorporates Black women’s history, advocacy, health, gender economics, and community organizing to provide the program’s skill-building components and content. Treatment of the Black communit
y will mainly be looked at through women’s health and wholeness. The curriculum is developed in modules that may be presented in parts or as a whole over various sessions. WPDB has partnered with the Youth Enrichment Services (YES) to pilot the program, which will kick off next month as part of the Learn and Earn program. Youth ages 14-21 living in Allegheny County will be able to earn competitive wages while learning about period advocacy and engaging in other meaningful workforce development and academic enrichment opportunities.
Denise Jones of Youth Empowerment Services says, “A 3-month supply of menstrual products will be distributed to each participant in the program. Additionally, the participants will jointly write one (1) op-ed or letter to legislators in each program cohort. This exercise will assist the development of advocacy skills that will serve the youth well.”
For additional media information, please contact Pamela Collier at PCollier@lordmarketinggroup.com or via telephone at (412) 628.2498. For young women interested in participating in the Advocacy Program, please contact Olivia Kelley at 443-761-4822 or okelley@yespgh.org at YES.
###
About Diaper Bank of Western PA
Founded in 2012, the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank (WPDB) is the only regional nonprofit organization focused solely on distributing diapers to low-income families. Additionally, the WPDB acts as an information clearinghouse, referring families to other social service organizations as needed. A few highlights over the past eight years include:
Expansion into three counties (Allegheny, Fayette, and Westmoreland).
Growing from an initial six partner agencies to twenty-eight.
Distributing more than a million diapers at no cost to families in need and;
Securing warehouse space and office space in three counties.
Co-founder and Executive Director Cathy Battle has received recognition for her organizational dedication, including three consecutive Jefferson Awards she shares with her husband, the Rev. Phillip Battle.
The Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank strives to bring public awareness of the diaper crisis in our region. By partnering with other nonprofit agencies, faith-based institutions, and childcare providers, the Diaper Bank aims to increase the distribution of diapers to families and individuals in need.
For additional information, please visit www.wpadiaperbank.org. The Blessing is in the Diaper.
About Youth Enrichment Services
Ahead of its time and punching above its weight, Youth Enrichment Services (YES) formed in 1994 to create hope out of hopelessness, paint a bright future out of uncertainty and give young people from inner-city and urban communities a portrait of themselves as successful, empowered, and confident leaders. With YES’ mentorship, our young people go on to become leaders among their peers, and within their schools, homes, and communities.
YES is an ongoing success story. The proactive programs developed and nurtured by YES work in unison as positive pathways to future success. Through mentoring partnerships, peer assisted tutoring programs, and — when needed — monitoring and mentoring programs for juvenile offenders, YES invests its talent, energy, time, and resources in empowering and enriching the lives of children and teens.
For additional information, please visit www.youthenrichmentservices.org.
Comments