LIHU‘E — Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami said he had to learn from his wife Monica, a school teacher, about the significance of period products and the impact they have on women, especially maturing school-aged girls.
The mayor and his wife were on hand to help on Monday when the Kaua‘i Committee on the Status of Women turned over period products to the Ma‘i Movement and the Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i, which is coordinating a shipment to Maui.
Wes Perreira, manager of Hawai‘i Foodbank Kaua‘i, said he’s been to Maui frequently since the Aug. 8 wildfire devastated Lahaina.
His most recent task is to get the products to Maui for the Ma‘i Movement, which is coordinating how the products reach people who need assistance in the aftermath of the fire.
“They can really use the help,” Perreira said. “I’ve been there to help the Hawai‘i Foodbank, Maui Foodbank, and from what I’ve seen, it’s heartbreaking.”
The Monday collection included at least 540 individual personal hygiene kits that contained a tampon, a sanitary pad, a pair of feminine wipes and 70 percent alcohol hand wipes packed in a plastic bag.
The load additionally included four, 80-count boxes of Always Pure cotton pads; nine, 76-count boxes of Always Ultra Thin Pads; seven, 88-count boxes of Always Ultra Thin Advance Pads; a 65-count pack of Stay Free Maxi Regular pads; and 11 boxes of 96-count box of Tampax Pearl.
The Kaua‘i Committee on the Status of Women, functioning under the Hawai‘i State Commission on the Status of Women, works for equality for women and girls in the state by acting as a catalyst for positive change through advocacy, education, collaboration and program development.
The committee meets on the third Wednesday of the month at the Boards and Commissions Conference Room. The next committee meeting is at 5 p.m. on Nov. 15.
