Dignity Matters

Every $50 donated gives a woman the menstrual care and underwear she needs to manage her period safely for a year.

Did you know that you can't purchase pads and tampons with SNAP/Food Stamps or WIC (Women, Infants and Children)?

In fact, there's NO state or federal programs that help women and girls in Massachusetts buy menstrual care. Menstrual care is expensive and rarely donated, so thousands face a difficult choice: use unhygienic alternatives like rags and toilet paper, or stay home and miss out on school, work - and life.

Dignity Matters is the largest nonprofit provider of free menstrual care and undergarments in Massachusetts. We help 15,000 women manage their period with dignity every month - and for most of them we are their only reliable source of these items.

Lack of access to menstrual care is a “deal breaker:" regardless of the other resources available to them, women and girls cannot stay healthy, work or attend school without reliable access to menstrual care. 

Dignity Matters supports women and girls through a network of non-profits (including shelters, schools and food pantries) that already provide them other services, have earned their trust, and are accessible in their communities. We give women the dignity of choosing the type of menstrual care and undergarments that they are comfortable using, and we make a 12-month commitment to each partner so they know they can count on us for these products when they need them. And we use a manufacturing contract to buy menstrual care and underwear at wholesale prices to stretch your donations to help as many women as possible live with dignity.  

We support women and girls through four programs:

Dignity at Schools provides menstrual products, underwear, and bras to students at public middle and high schools, after-school programs, community colleges, and state universities in Eastern Massachusetts.

Dignity at Shelters provides menstrual care, bras and underwear to women at homeless and domestic violence shelters, low-income housing and community centers, and emergency family centers.

Dignity in the Community delivers menstrual care and incontinence underwear to women and girls through 35+ food pantries and medical centers in Eastern Massachusetts. 

Dignity Beneath the Blouse offers personalized bra fittings and free bras to sheltered women.