Need free pads or tampons? In Tampa, you can visit a ‘period pantry’

Pads, tampons and other menstrual supplies aren’t cheap. Many low-income people struggle to pay for them, and they aren’t typically covered by government assistance programs like SNAP food benefits or Medicaid.

Although some states have dropped sales taxes on menstrual products in recent years, 20 states still tax them.

Florida dropped the sales tax in 2017. But many still find the cost prohibitive, says Bree Wallace, a reproductive rights activist in Tampa.

“I think [menstrual care] is one of the most overlooked parts to things that people need,” she said. “A lot of people think of bigger ones like housing, food, things like that, so this is one that is often forgotten about, but affects millions of people just in the U.S. every year,” she said.

Having enough supplies is critical for people to stay healthy and comfortable during their menstrual periods.

To combat this issue, known as period poverty, Wallace has begun installing pantries stocked with free supplies in public locations in the Tampa area.

Bree Wallace set up the first Tampa Period Pantry last August outside a salon and boutique in her neighborhood, Seminole Heights, called the Disco Dolls Studio.

The wooden box somewhat resembles a Little Free Library, where neighbors can swap used books, but it’s painted pink and stocked with tampons, pads, sanitary wipes and heating patches that anyone in need can take for free.

Thanks to word of mouth and social media attention about that first pantry, Wallace received more donations and offers to host pantries. She has opened nine additional locations in the Tampa area. She credits the idea to a friend in Jacksonville who runs period pantries in that area.

Wallace’s day job is director of case management at the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund. The group offers financial and logistical assistance to people seeking abortion care in Florida or who need to travel out of state due to the six-week ban that’s in effect.

At that job, many of Wallace’s clients confided they have a tough time during their periods, she said.

"A lot of the people that I work with within reproductive health are people who are low income, who are unhoused, who don't have money," she said.

"So sharing this resource with them helps them at least a little bit, you know. If they have a few dollars to their name, they can use it somewhere else and use free products from here."

Research shows about a third of American adults and a quarter of teens who menstruate struggle to afford period products. For women with low incomes, that jumps up to two-thirds.

In addition to cost barriers, some deal with social pressures, stigma, or lack of education about menstruation, and they don't feel comfortable asking for help with menstrual hygiene. Some girls report missing school because of problems managing their periods.

During this year’s budget process, Florida lawmakers voted to include $6.4 million for the Menstrual Hygiene Products Grant Program, which would have provided free pads and tampons to kids in K-12 schools in Florida.

But Gov. Ron Desantis vetoed the funding in June.

That makes grassroots efforts like period pantries even more important, Wallace said.

“I mean it's a human right, we should already have it for free, but that's obviously not happening right now so things like this are definitely needed,” said Wallace.

And she can’t do it without help. Wallace usually re-stocks the pantries herself, but members of the public donate the bulk of the supplies. Some purchase items from an online wish list, while others drop them off at businesses that host the pantries.

Some pantries are outside on city streets, like the first location Wallace set up outside the Disco Dolls Studio. Others are found in bathrooms in stores, art spaces and bars. One pantry was set up inside a community space for queer and trans people.

Sometimes people call the Disco Dolls Studio when they see the pantry on the street and ask, "Is it really free? Can I just take it?" said co-owner Leigh Anne Balzekas.

She said she feels "honored" to help ease the burden for anyone in need.

"We have to support each other, and especially as women, you know, we deal with a lot," she said.

Tampa Period Pantry plans to open a few more locations later this year.

This story comes from NPR's health reporting partnership with WUSF and KFF Health News.