In 2015, Chelsea VonChaz was out in town with her mother when the two witnessed something that broke their hearts:an unhoused woman crossing the street while wearing blood-stained undergarments. After some research, Chelsea learned that pads and tampons are items that are rarely donated, and are not required to be included in any shelter’s operations budget. Chelsea and her mom knew they wanted to help, so they gathered some friends and got to work. It was then that #HappyPeriod was born.
“Having your period doesn’t mean that you’re less than. It’s really all about making sure that people having access to whatever it is that they want to use for their period care.”
Using their own money, Chelsea and a friend began by purchasing products and building kits to hand out to unhoused women. After three months of regularly visiting the community to distribute menstrual products, Chelsea and her friends became recognized for their generosity. With the help of her friends and family, #HappyPeriod gained its 501c3 approval within the first year—the first major step in their fundraising efforts.
Learn more about #HappyPeriod by visiting Chelsea’s GoFundMe fundraiser.
