KCSW donates period products to outreach programs

Published on October 09, 2024

LĪHU‘E – The Kaua‘i Committee on the Status of Women (KCSW) held a special presentation on Wednesday at the Līhu‘e Civic Center’s Mo‘ikeha Building, after selecting three outreach agencies to receive donated period products from the committee.

“As an educator in the public school system for the past 22 years, I’ve seen firsthand the burden that period poverty can have on our young girls,” said First Lady Monica Kawakami, a member of the KCSW, who is leading this initiative. “I want to thank everyone involved in this effort to end period poverty and to make sure women of all ages have access to basic, fundamental, women’s hygiene products.”

KCSW donated and distributed a total of about 1,500 period products to Catholic Charities, Kaua‘i Economic Opportunity’s homelessness and housing programs, and the YWCA. Each organization provides support services for women and youth through their programs and overall missions to address and serve the health and safety needs of our Kaua‘i community.

Representatives from the organizations joined members of the KCSW and Mayor Derek Kawakami during Wednesday’s ceremony.

The KCSW is part of the Hawai‘i State Commission on the Status of Women, which strives to advance the status of women and girls by acting as a catalyst for positive change through advocacy, education, collaboration, and program development. For more information on Kaua‘i Committee on the Status of Women, please visit www.kauai.gov/KCCSW.

Photo from left to right: Abigail Naaykens of YWCA, Mary-jane Akuna of YWCA, KCSW Commissioner Edith Ignacio Neumiller, Jennifer Baxter of YWCA, KCSW Member Monica Kawakami, KCSW Treasurer Regina Carvalho, Aida Shen of Catholic Charities Hawai‘i – Kaua‘i, KCSW Vice Chair Sara Miura, and Melody Lopez of Catholic Charities Hawai‘i – Kaua‘i.

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