“The whole concept just blew up on us,” the Fairborn man said.
The 500-plus kits made by volunteers Tuesday night at COhatch The Marketplace will be sent to partners at Clark County schools, Second Harvest Food Bank and the Clark County Public Library. Past kits also have been sent to Rocking Horse Community Health Center.
“No one ever wants to talk about the issue,” Davis said.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
He recounted how he began his efforts after a friend in Colorado told him about period poverty and how she had to choose between food and feminine hygiene products.
“We can’t have human beings choosing between necessities,” Davis said, noting a national study’s finding that about two-thirds of low-income people in metropolitan U.S. cities cannot afford menstrual products. “I’ve never been in that situation ... I’ve never been hungry, but I know we can help.”
Brande Dyar of Springfield is a member of Period Kits Ohio’s board and volunteered Tuesday. Dyar admitted she initially was surprised by Davis leading the effort.
“Now that I’ve met him, it makes sense that he’d start this mission,” she said. “I enjoy his compassion for others and sense of humor. He’s also a problem solver.”
Davis said he was born in England and was living in Colorado when Period Kits began. He moved to Fairborn in 2021 to help his New Carlisle sister with their mother and her dialysis treatment.
He then founded Period Kits Ohio but said his goal is for the effort to no longer be needed in 10 years.
The Period Kits tagline is: “It’s all about health and dignity. Period.”
He said Period Kits Ohio partners with Springfield groups because the Dayton-Springfield-Columbus corridor has been identified as a high level of need.
Social media has raised awareness of Period Kits, Davis said.
The group arranges what he calls friend-raisers, then it works to get supplies donated and crews build the Period Kits that contain items such as pads, liners, tampons, underwear and wipes in a casual, friendly group setting.
Davis, who works at Homefull in Dayton, said events like those offer “every effort to normalize conversations about this.”
“People who know about it want to help,” he said.
Another period kit build is planned for COhatch at 6 p.m. on May 22.
Dyar connected with the group about a year ago when Davis’ sister, Dana, approached her and told her about the mission, inviting her to an event at the Yellow Cab Tavern in Dayton.
She met Davis and learned he was putting together a board for the group. Dyar, a Leadership Clark County class member at the time, signed on.
“It seemed a great way to get in on the ground level and truly learn about how non-profits work,” she said.
Dyar said she wanted to be part of something greater than herself.
“I’ve never been in a position that I had to choose between purchasing feminine hygiene products and food, so I felt I could help champion the mission of PKO to others like me,” she said.
How to help
For information about how to donate to or volunteer with Period Kits Ohio:
Website: www.periodkitsohio.org
Email: periodkitsoh@gmail.com
Facebook and Instagram: @periodkitsoh
About the Author
