Philanthropic teen seeks local business partners to help end period poverty

Jada Malott,18, of Windsor has launched a new social enterprise called “Period Product Partner” (PPP).

“The whole purpose is to get free menstrual products into private businesses,” said Malott who has purchased 50 dispensers for tampons and pads.

Each one costs $270 plus tax and PPP will stock the dispenser for free, for an entire year.

“That price is what we paid (for each dispenser),” Malott said. “We're not making any penny off of the purchase of a dispenser. It's not a get-rich-quick scheme for us.”

Malott, who has been part of the successful Tampon Tuesday initiative, said she started PPP as a legacy project for her grandmother, who passed away in October 2021.

“She experienced a tremendous amount of poverty,” Malott wrote in a news release about what “motivated” her to launch PPP.

“A story that she shared with us once about how she often sacrificed period products to feed her two children broke our hearts.”

Malott tells CTV News her grandmother was forced to use paper towel, pieces of clothing, and even a sock instead of menstrual products.

“Every single person has the right to have dignity and health,” Malott said. “And I don't understand where people are still struggling to access these products. So it just made sense to me to do this (launch PPP).

The dispensers and products are being stored inside the warehouse of Holland Cleaning Solutions in Windsor, owned by Mike Shalhoub.

“I didn't really think of the fact that kids don't go to school because they don't have feminine hygiene products,” said Shalhoub, who offered to help after hearing Malott on AM800 on Tampon Tuesday.

“To miss a day of school is sort of unfathomable. I didn't really realize that actually went on. So, you know, we're more than happy to help in whatever way we can.”

PPP launched in late April and Malott told CTV News she’s “surprised” at how few businesses have reached out to be a partner. Malott suspects they’re concerned about the dispensers being vandalized or someone will take all of the stock.

“It's just menstrual products. It's not like there's 100 bucks in here,” Malott said. “They are menstrual products, therefore an emergency. And women and menstruators understand that, so they're not going to get ransacked.”

Malott said they have an agreement with local carpenters to have the dispensers installed free of charge. Carpenters in the region are currently on strike, so Malott admits there could be a delay in getting the dispensers mounted.

To date, just 15 businesses have agreed to partner with PPP.

Malott believes many business owners are still unaware of the need and are shying away from the initiative because talking about periods is still taboo.

“The biggest and hardest hurdle of ending period poverty is going to be getting over that stigma,” said Malott.