Periods with Pride was founded in 2017 by Nikitha Lakshminarayanan, a 19-year-old 2nd year student at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is majoring in Human Biology and Society. She is the current Miss Ventura County 2019 within the Miss America Competition. She is vying for the title of Miss California 2020.
Through her #Squeezeouthunger and Helping Hands for the Homeless platforms, she had previously led several projects to collect non-perishable food items and partnered with Greater Chicago Food Depository to distribute them to the homeless people of Chicago. As she distributed hot meals to homeless people in the streets of Chicago, she came across Mellie.
Mellie thanked her for the food, but seemed extremely irritable and uncomfortable. At first, Nikitha was confused and hurt by her indifference. However, she still wanted to make sure that Mellie was safe since it was brutally cold and blustery outside. As she looked closer, she saw that Mellie was sitting in a pool of menstrual blood. She shamefully acknowledged that she didn’t have the money to buy hygiene products, clearly uncomfortable knowing her dignity as a woman was compromised.
With this event in mind, Nikitha contacted “Journeys: On the Road Home,” the organization that she had partnered with many times in the past. They confirmed her worst suspicions—while the demand for menstrual hygiene products is very high, they rarely receive those donations. She decided that it was time to help women feel clean and comfortable. Partnering with Journeys, she started the Organization called “Periods with Pride”. With the help of her community and friends, she collected enough products to get more than 50 women through their periods for a full year.
From this experience, she learned to appreciate the little benefits that she had in her life. Especially after witnessing first-hand the kind of impact her small effort made, she continued to collect donations and keep spreading the message. Someday, we hope to live in a world in which no woman has to endure Mellie’s troubles and know that “Periods with Pride” had a small role to play in getting there.
Through this Organization, we hope to raise awareness of this important topic that will resonate with every girl and woman. Please consider a small donation of sanitary napkins, tampons, liners and hygiene wipes. While we appreciate full packages, you don't need to. We are sure you have few stashed in your backpacks and handbags in anticipation of the odd day that you may need it. Please contact your Chapter coordinators for donations and more information.
Peace & Love
Through her #Squeezeouthunger and Helping Hands for the Homeless platforms, she had previously led several projects to collect non-perishable food items and partnered with Greater Chicago Food Depository to distribute them to the homeless people of Chicago. As she distributed hot meals to homeless people in the streets of Chicago, she came across Mellie.
Mellie thanked her for the food, but seemed extremely irritable and uncomfortable. At first, Nikitha was confused and hurt by her indifference. However, she still wanted to make sure that Mellie was safe since it was brutally cold and blustery outside. As she looked closer, she saw that Mellie was sitting in a pool of menstrual blood. She shamefully acknowledged that she didn’t have the money to buy hygiene products, clearly uncomfortable knowing her dignity as a woman was compromised.
With this event in mind, Nikitha contacted “Journeys: On the Road Home,” the organization that she had partnered with many times in the past. They confirmed her worst suspicions—while the demand for menstrual hygiene products is very high, they rarely receive those donations. She decided that it was time to help women feel clean and comfortable. Partnering with Journeys, she started the Organization called “Periods with Pride”. With the help of her community and friends, she collected enough products to get more than 50 women through their periods for a full year.
From this experience, she learned to appreciate the little benefits that she had in her life. Especially after witnessing first-hand the kind of impact her small effort made, she continued to collect donations and keep spreading the message. Someday, we hope to live in a world in which no woman has to endure Mellie’s troubles and know that “Periods with Pride” had a small role to play in getting there.
Through this Organization, we hope to raise awareness of this important topic that will resonate with every girl and woman. Please consider a small donation of sanitary napkins, tampons, liners and hygiene wipes. While we appreciate full packages, you don't need to. We are sure you have few stashed in your backpacks and handbags in anticipation of the odd day that you may need it. Please contact your Chapter coordinators for donations and more information.
Peace & Love
