Eli Cloud
Sister Supply was founded by Eli Cloud and Nikii Richey as a way to supply pads and tampons for those who need them, like high school students and the homeless. The goals of the organization are to destigmatize menstruation, to supply products for those who lack the financial means, and to provide information about sustainable products.
Next week, the group is holding “We Need You. Period,” a week-long series of events during which the group will be collecting money and menstrual products. On June 1st, 2-4 p.m., there will be a Period Pack Party at Shady Grove Presbyterian Church when volunteers will put together packs of one-month and three-month supply kits.
We spoke to Cloud about the organization and the upcoming events:
How did the group, Sister Supply, come together?
The idea for Sister Supply was inspired by a true story of a homeless woman in a desperate situation caused by the lack of access to menstrual products who was eventually escorted by the police to Regional One Health — a level one trauma hospital — for her period. My heart broke when I heard this woman’s story, and I began asking “how do homeless women cope with menstruation?" I began research (asking questions, looking for existing organizations that provided menstrual products to homeless women). I wanted to volunteer or donate money so I could feel better and move on with my life. After talking to community activists, shelters, and community outreach organizations in Memphis, an unsettling truth was revealed to me — many women and adolescent girls (menstruators) living in Memphis do not have access to these female-specific essentials, forcing them to improvise or go without.
I found my co-founder and a fiscal sponsor simultaneously. Nikii Richey was the administrator at Shady Grove Presbyterian Church, where I was a member. I was preparing to ask Shady Grove to be the fiscal sponsor for this yet-to-be-named organization when we met. Together, we began to visualize what we could realistically do using our talents and resources and named our organization Sister Supply. Nikii also has a master's in graphic design, which is how our logo came to have a tampon incorporated into it … It’s like an easter egg hidden for those who care to notice.
Although we began with the intention of serving homeless women, we soon realized that the greatest need was school-aged menstruators.
This product drive will benefit all of our beneficiaries, but the Period. Pack. Party. will focus on creating "Period Packs" for distribution in schools.
How do you go about destigmatizing menstruation?
So many people I meet have never thought about this need until they heard me talk or read about Sister Supply … and why not? … I had never thought about it either until I did. The first part of destigmatization involves normalizing discussion of menstruation. The reason "Period Poverty" remained a hidden problem for as long as it has is because it was too embarrassing to talk about. We are deliberate with our wording. We use the term "menstrual products" when referring to pads and tampons, not "feminine hygiene" or "sanitary products." Pads and tampons are used to collect menstrual blood. We don't want to "sanitize" the language that we use.
We are also working to provide education about sustainable products. Unfortunately, many menstruators who would benefit from sustainable products are conditioned to think that touching their own menstrual blood is disgusting. I have also heard people say that they were told if they used a tampon, they would no longer be considered a virgin. Clearly, we need to do a better job educating young girls.
Ideally, we would like to see pads and tampons stocked in all public restrooms like toilet paper, paper towels, and soap. These are essential items and should not be treated as luxuries.
What's in a Period Pack?
Ten pads in a quart-size Ziploc bag for distribution in schools.
We ask our schools to give a girl who asks for a pad 10 pads. Giving a girl 10 pads is intended to prevent multiple trips to and from the office missing class time. We have heard from teachers and students that this is not happening, so we decided to create Period Packs to make it easier for schools to provide 10 at a time.
What's going to happen during the event?
We will assemble Period Packs, enjoy cherry and strawberry shaved ice, panty-shaped cookies, etc., while providing a platform to discuss the effects of Period Poverty and how Sister Supply has been working to solve this problem. It will take all of us working together, but we can fix this. This is an opportunity for people to get involved with Sister Supply, a 100% volunteer organization.
How can people help?
Volunteer to assemble Period Packs at the Period Pack Party.
Collect menstrual products at your workplace, church, home, etc., and drop them off on the day of the event. We will pack them up!
Pay NOT to go - by making a donation to Sister Supply - sistersupply.org/donate
Help spread the word, make a donation, get "woke" to the fact that a lack of access to basic feminine necessities creates a ripple effect that negatively impacts our community.
- The Ripple Effect: Unequal access to education — either missing class or school altogether creates an achievement gap that contributes to the women-owned business gap, which leads to a gender pay gap, etc. It makes so much sense to give our students the opportunity to receive the full benefit of their K-12 education by providing menstrual products. It’s a small front-end investment compared to the cost associated with high school drop outs, which significantly contributes to our community's education and workforce development problem.
Collection points from May 28th through June 2nd:
- Crosstown Concourse West and Central Atriums - 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN 38104
- Mid-South Food Bank - 3834 Knight Rd., Memphis, TN 38118
- Bethlehem Baptist Church - 918 Looney, Memphis, TN 38107
- Memphis Child Advocacy Center - 1085 Poplar, Memphis, TN 38105
- Shady Grove Presbyterian Church - 5530 Shady Grove., Memphis, TN 38120
- ANF Architects - 1500 Union, Memphis, TN 38104
- Hope House - 23 S Idlewild, Memphis, TN 38104
- Divine Life Church - 5270 Riverdale, Memphis, TN 38141
- Mirror Mirror Salon & Blowout Bar - 4752 Poplar, Memphis TN 38117
