A couple of weeks ago, while at the Lewis County Gospel Mission dropping off some things, I was informed by staff that the mission was in dire need of feminine products.
I posted on Facebook about the needs at the Chehalis-based mission. Within 10 minutes, I got a phone call from a local gentleman who had a crisp $100 bill to go toward the cause.
It was a moving thing, for a male community member to be willing to quickly meet that need. While it is obviously not a glamorous topic, it’s a basic need that some women struggle desperately with, but hesitate to discuss.
The $100 at Grocery Outlet in Chehalis was enough to purchase more than 750 Maxi Pads. While that sounds like a lot, when you consider that most women will need 10 or more feminine products per cycle, it’s easy to see that 750 will not last the Lewis County Gospel Mission very long.
It’s just one more need you think about next time you’re at the grocery store or making that Costco run. Adding one extra item for your favorite local non-profit can go a long ways.
Speaking of feminine products, there’s been a lot of news coming out of California and other places in regards to how women’s hygiene, specifically, is handled within jail and prison settings.
In some states, women have to pay money for feminine products and sometimes those products are only available during a limited window of time. Additionally, some women are not afforded reasonable accommodation in their choice of products. In some jails and prisons, the institution-issued undergarments are paper and inadequate to hold necessary feminine products in place.
Just out of curiosity, I emailed the Lewis County Jail this week to inquire about their practices. Turns out they’re much more progressive. According to jail staff, they provide feminine products to female inmates for free, provide options, and allow them to keep personal undergarments that they arrive at the jail with.
Nice to see that Lewis County really is more progressive (and decent) than California in some ways.
Coming full circle, here’s another shelter snippet.
Recently, some friends and I pooled some money through Facebook, PayPal and Venmo (all digital / mobile payment technologies) to deliver pizza to the Hub City Mission’s severe weather shelter at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds.
In fact, we ended up raising about $120 in an hour, so we were able to coordinate two pizza delivery nights. Our second delivery night served as the dinner for the New Year’s Eve severe weather shelter patrons.
If it’s in your heart to feed 20-30 people on any given night, I encourage you to give the Hub City Mission a call or message them through their Facebook page. It’s a great way to make sure some of our most vulnerable community members go to bed with warm food in the bellies.
Last thing: Don’t forget about sending mylar blankets to The Chronicle!
January is often the coldest month of the year here in Lewis County, so if you haven’t sent in mylar emergency thermal blankets yet, this is a great month to do it.
You can order single or bulk packs of mylar blankets — the foil looking space blankets — on Amazon.com and have them shipped directly to: The Chronicle, ATTN: Blankets, 321 N. Pearl Street, Centralia, Washington. The Chronicle’s customer service staff coordinate with me to make sure the blankets go out directly to local organizations who serve our most vulnerable homeless individuals. Mylar blankets trap heat and help keep people dry.
Additionally, you can also purchase individual mylar blankets at Sunbird Shopping Center in Chehalis and drop them off at The Chronicle, or deliver them to your favorite local organization.
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Brittany Voie is a columnist for The Chronicle. She lives south of Chehalis with her husband and two young sons. She welcomes correspondence from the community at voiedevelopment@comcast.net.
