By Nancy Cruse

Have you ever thought about what it’s like for a homeless woman when she has her period?  If you’re a man, I’m guessing not.  Keep listening anyway.

Women who find themselves in low income situations often have to make hard choices.  Food stamps are helpful but you can’t purchase feminine hygiene products with food stamps.  Food pantries are a blessing but often people don’t think about throwing in a package of feminine pads or tampons as part of their donation.

How does not having adequate sanitary supplies impact a woman?

1. Self Esteem – Kind of hard to go for a job interview if you are having your period and don’t have any supplies other than some kind of make-shift, homemade solution.  Imagine your pre-teen or teen daughter getting her first period, keeping in mind the huge insecurities girls have at this age, and having to tell her you don’t have supplies to send with her to school.  My guess is she’ll stay home rather than go to school and be distracted and worried all day about people being able to tell she’s gotten her period or bleeding through her clothes.  Would you get up to give a speech in English class in that situation?
2. Health – Sure, you can use some kind of alternative but using a folded up wash cloth or some other type of fabric is messy, inconvenient and can be unsanitary.  Using rolled up toilet paper or paper towels in place of tampons is just as bad.  Women in this situation often end up with vaginal infections.

Governor Bruce Rauner signed a law eliminating sales taxes on feminine hygiene products in Illinois in August 2106. This bill (SB2746) went into effect on January 1^st, 2017.  Terry Horstman, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Revenue, said the law will cost Illinois $10- to $15 million annually in lost sales tax revenue. Well, boo hoo.  Illinois can review their list of what they charge sales taxes on and make the appropriate adjustments.  Feminine hygiene products are not luxury items.

My call to action to all men and women is to go out, buy some sanitary pads and drop them off to your local food pantry or mission.  On behalf of women everywhere, thank you.

Nancy Cruse has been part of the Bloomington/Normal community for the past almost 30 years. A widow, with five children, along with her late husband was a small business owner in downtown Bloomington. Now employed by State Farm, Nancy is active in the community, writing the Clare House newsletter and maintaining their Facebook page, hosting an annual Fourth of July Food Drive, a team leader and fundraiser for the Pat Nohl Lupus Walk, and a member of Toastmasters International, as well as volunteering in various capacities at Holy Trinity Church and schools. In her spare time, Nancy likes to run, bike, hike, read, sew, and be a vegetarian who occasionally indulges in a Schooners Tenderloin.

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