The Sharing Shelf Launches Its Period Poverty Awareness Drive:
The Need is Growing Dramatically Along with the Need for Donated Clothing
The Sharing Shelf, the nonprofit Clothing Bank serving children and teens in need in Westchester County, announced today the launch of its 2026 period poverty awareness drive: “Make a Difference – Period.” Through the annual initiative, now in its third year, The Sharing Shelf collects period products for the thousands of girls that it serves each year.
In 2025, The Sharing Shelf served 2,094 girls age 11-19. Last year’s collection drive generated 54,706 period products – an increase of 45% over the 37,625 period products collected in 2024.
Those products are provided free, when girls of menstruating age request and receive clothing. Every girl of that age receives, along with the clothing, a three-month supply of period products – primarily pads, which are preferred by most of the requesting girls and are the focus of this collection drive.
“Period products are vital, as research shows that girls may skip school or use unsafe materials during their period if they don’t have sufficient products,” said Deborah Blatt, Founder and Executive Director of The Sharing Shelf. “We want all girls in Westchester to achieve their full potential in school, and that won’t happen if those in need don’t have period products.”
This year, the need will be greater than ever, as requests for clothing grew 25% from 2024 to 2025. They have grown 88% in three years.
In 2026, an estimated 138,000 pads need to be collected to help meet the annual requests received by the program. In addition to period products donated, The Sharing Shelf will purchase products to address the overall demand. Last year, The Sharing Shelf distributed in total more than 125,000 period products.
Through the period poverty awareness drive, which runs through June, the public is encouraged to donate unopened boxes of new period products, preferably pads, at the distinctive pink collection boxes (shown at right) located at more than 50 sites (compared to 35 last year) across Westchester County. A full list of sites – including churches and synagogues, libraries and schools, gyms and pharmacies, and other locations – is available here.
Period poverty is a global challenge. As UN Women states, “Period poverty refers to the inability to afford and access menstrual products, sanitation and hygiene facilities and education and awareness to manage menstrual health.” The challenge is in part because, in the words of UN Women, “Menstrual products are prohibitively expensive for millions of people worldwide.”
According to PERIOD, nearly 1 in 4 students struggle to afford period products in the United States; 39% of teens feel unable to do their best schoolwork due to lack of access to period products.
In 2025, The Sharing Shelf fulfilled requests from 145 nonprofits, schools, and government agencies, fielding clothing requests for 9,134 children and teens. Those children and teens live in every community in Westchester.
While Westchester is among the nation’s wealthiest counties, its poverty rate for children under five was 11.1% in 2023 (the latest data), according to Westchester Children’s Association. More than 67,000 children and teens live in poverty or a low-income home in Westchester.
For more information or to speak with Deborah Blatt, contact Henry Miller at 917-921-8034 or hmiller@highimpactpartnering.com. For information on how to donate period products, visit:
About The Sharing Shelf
The Sharing Shelf is a nonprofit clothing bank serving Westchester County, NY. Founded in 2009, it operates a warehouse in Port Chester, where new and gently used clothes are collected, volunteers screen the clothes for quality, and the clothes are distributed for free to low-income children and teens through social-service agencies, schools, and other nonprofits. The Sharing Shelf also opened in 2024 (adjacent to the warehouse) a Teen Boutique, where teens in financial need, referred by schools and nonprofit organizations, can select their own clothing at no cost in a private and dignified setting that has the look and feel of a real boutique. In every case, the ultimate recipient is a child or teen in need – from newborn to age 19. The clothing is both age- and season-appropriate, fits properly, and boosts the individual’s esteem and confidence.
