((PKG)) I SUPPORT THE GIRLS
((Banner: Access – Feminine Products))
((Reporter/Camera: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Silver Spring, Maryland))
((NATS: Dana Marlowe))
They’ve changed their quantities, but this is fantastic.
Great. This is really, really great. Is this the third time
that your synagogue has collected?
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
So, I’m just a regular, full-time working mom of two kids
in suburbia and over the course of a year, I had lost 35
pounds. My clothes didn’t fit right and one morning, my
husband said to me, “Dana, your bras are not fitting in
any direction. I really need you to kind of consider
going out and buying some new bras that fit.” So, I
went out, walked into my Soma and asked to get fitted
for a bra. As I was getting fitted, I was speaking with
the Soma sales associate and I asked her a simple
question. I wanted to know what could I do with my
perfectly good used bras that no longer fit me? And
she told me four words that have totally changed the
course of my life. She said, “HOMELESS WOMEN
NEED BRAS. Full Stop.” So, I went home and went
online and found a homeless shelter service provider in
the Washington D.C. area and called them up and said,
I just learned about this need. I have 16 perfectly good
bras. Is this something that you want? And he said so
quickly from the shelter, “Yes, when can you bring them
here?” What else do you need? Because I don’t know
what I don’t know. And he said, “Maxi pads and
tampons.” Whoa! That was the first time in my life that
I had ever thought what it must be like for a woman who
is experiencing homelessness to have to also manage
her period for 5,6,7 days a month, after month, after
month. So, I put it out on my Facebook page. Here’s
what I’m going to do. If you have any, you know, new
or gently used bras of any kind you’d like to donate or
any sealed maxi pads or tampons, let me know and I’ll
come get them or you can send it to me, drop them off.
I said I was going to give it for two weeks and that was
in July of 2015. You can see we’re way past two
weeks.
((NATS, MUSIC))
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls)
This fills up every day without fail. So, I’m just bringing
in a variety of packages that have just shown up. They
come from all over and they donate products and we
can open up some. Oh wow, a check. This is amazing
‘cause this really helps tremendously, so thank you
Rebecca. And she donated a couple of bras.
((NATS))
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
So, we’re on our way today to do a donation to the
National Center for Children and Families, of bras and
pads and tampons. And I’m just going to go down and
load up everything we have.
((NATS: Dana Marlowe on the phone with Rachel))
Rachel: This is Rachel.
Dana: Oh, hey Rachel. This is Dana Marlowe with I
Support the Girls. How are you?
Rachel: Oh good. How are you?
Dana: Good. I just wanna let you know that we just
left. We just left my house a few minutes ago and we’re
in the car on the way to NCCF and the car is totally full.
I have over 17,000 products in the car and
so.....yeah…..I’m so glad.
((NATS, MUSIC))
((Locator: National Center for Children and Families,
Bethesda, Maryland))
((NATS: Dana Marlowe with man))
Man: Are they all bags that look like this?
Dana: They are mostly all bags that look like garbage
bags so if you have like a dolly or something?
((Popup Banner: The National Center for Children
and Families helps vulnerable children, youth and
families))
((NATS, MUSIC))
((NATS: Dana Marlowe with woman))
Woman: That’s amazing. Thank you.
Dana: 35 states or whatever still have tampon taxes,
making it that much more out of reach for essential
items that most people who are menstruating need
every single month for 5,6 days a month, multiple
products per day.
((Leila Phillips, Volunteer - Donation Center,
National Center for Children and Families))
We’ve never received a donation of bras and
underwears here at the shelter. We don’t even have a
specified bin for that item.
((Dahlia Levin, Director - External Affairs, National
Center for Children and Families))
Being homeless is a huge crisis in your family. It’s like,
you want to worry about your period then?
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
Right. Hence why we do what we do.
((Dahlia Levin, Director - External Affairs, National
Center for Children and Families))
Yeah.
((NATS: Dana Marlowe with Jackson, So Others
Might Eat))
Dana: This is my son Micah.
Jackson: Micah, I am Jackson.
Dana: This is Riley. Riley say hi to Jackson.
Jackson: Riley, how you doing young man? Thank
you guys.
Dana: So we’re here to help unload today.
Jackson: Okay, I’m ready when you are.
Dana: Hold on. Micah can you grab those for me?
Maxi pads falling down.
+++++
((Micah Blay, Dana Marlowe’s Son))
Today, we were bringing bras and maxi pads to this
homeless shelter.
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
My boys are comfortable seeing and talking about bras
and periods.
((Riley Blay, Dana Marlowe’s Son))
It’s normal for a woman to have her period.
((NATS))
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
There are so many euphemisms that we’ve put on in
society to not have to say the word menstruation.
Everything from on the rag, crimson tide, that time of
the month. Menstruation is really just a very normal
body life cycle.
((NATS, MUSIC))
((NATS: Dana Marlowe with Kwanda, Client, So
Others Might Eat))
Dana: Hi, how are you? It’s getting warm out.
Kwanda: Yeah.
Dana: I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of
incredible women and girls who receive our products.
Dana: Riley, this is my friend Kwanda. Can you say
hi?
Kwanda: Hi Riley, how are you? How is life treating
you?
Dana: Women are so grateful to receive the bras and
the tampons and pads and underwear.
Kwanda: They last longer and you don’t have to go to
the bathroom as frequent. It holds you better for
women especially in the homeless community.
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
To date, we have around 50 I Support The Girls
affiliates from I Support the Girls Detroit to I Support the
girls Dallas, from I Support the Girls Phoenix to I
Support the Girls in South Florida, and I Support the
Girls in Australia and in Pakistan, and in all of these
different cities who are running our variety of programs.
((NATS, MUSIC))
((Dana Marlowe, I Support the Girls))
I Support the Girls love, love, love what you’re doing.
These are mostly bras for tweens and teens. I hope
they will make someone happy. From Jennifer…..
((NATS: Clients, So Others Might Eat))
Client: Silky blue, the baby blue bow, real nice.
Client: I took the black one and a beige one. I needed
black and beige. Every woman needs a black and
beige bra. Keep it easy. They go with everything.
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
I hope that people can take away how basic some of
these items are when it comes to dignity. When it
comes to periods, that they don’t have to worry where
they’re getting next month’s period supplies from
because having proper menstrual hygiene products and
having a bra that fits you and is supportive, does
provide so much dignity for an individual.
((Kwanda, Client, So Others Might Eat))
It means a lot because your clothes fit better, you feel
better and everything just goes pretty much better.
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
I hope that people understand how much of that self-
worth and personal value can be interrelated with
homelessness and dignity and bras and menstrual
products.
((NATS, MUSIC))
((Banner: Access – Feminine Products))
((Reporter/Camera: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Silver Spring, Maryland))
((NATS: Dana Marlowe))
They’ve changed their quantities, but this is fantastic.
Great. This is really, really great. Is this the third time
that your synagogue has collected?
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
So, I’m just a regular, full-time working mom of two kids
in suburbia and over the course of a year, I had lost 35
pounds. My clothes didn’t fit right and one morning, my
husband said to me, “Dana, your bras are not fitting in
any direction. I really need you to kind of consider
going out and buying some new bras that fit.” So, I
went out, walked into my Soma and asked to get fitted
for a bra. As I was getting fitted, I was speaking with
the Soma sales associate and I asked her a simple
question. I wanted to know what could I do with my
perfectly good used bras that no longer fit me? And
she told me four words that have totally changed the
course of my life. She said, “HOMELESS WOMEN
NEED BRAS. Full Stop.” So, I went home and went
online and found a homeless shelter service provider in
the Washington D.C. area and called them up and said,
I just learned about this need. I have 16 perfectly good
bras. Is this something that you want? And he said so
quickly from the shelter, “Yes, when can you bring them
here?” What else do you need? Because I don’t know
what I don’t know. And he said, “Maxi pads and
tampons.” Whoa! That was the first time in my life that
I had ever thought what it must be like for a woman who
is experiencing homelessness to have to also manage
her period for 5,6,7 days a month, after month, after
month. So, I put it out on my Facebook page. Here’s
what I’m going to do. If you have any, you know, new
or gently used bras of any kind you’d like to donate or
any sealed maxi pads or tampons, let me know and I’ll
come get them or you can send it to me, drop them off.
I said I was going to give it for two weeks and that was
in July of 2015. You can see we’re way past two
weeks.
((NATS, MUSIC))
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls)
This fills up every day without fail. So, I’m just bringing
in a variety of packages that have just shown up. They
come from all over and they donate products and we
can open up some. Oh wow, a check. This is amazing
‘cause this really helps tremendously, so thank you
Rebecca. And she donated a couple of bras.
((NATS))
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
So, we’re on our way today to do a donation to the
National Center for Children and Families, of bras and
pads and tampons. And I’m just going to go down and
load up everything we have.
((NATS: Dana Marlowe on the phone with Rachel))
Rachel: This is Rachel.
Dana: Oh, hey Rachel. This is Dana Marlowe with I
Support the Girls. How are you?
Rachel: Oh good. How are you?
Dana: Good. I just wanna let you know that we just
left. We just left my house a few minutes ago and we’re
in the car on the way to NCCF and the car is totally full.
I have over 17,000 products in the car and
so.....yeah…..I’m so glad.
((NATS, MUSIC))
((Locator: National Center for Children and Families,
Bethesda, Maryland))
((NATS: Dana Marlowe with man))
Man: Are they all bags that look like this?
Dana: They are mostly all bags that look like garbage
bags so if you have like a dolly or something?
((Popup Banner: The National Center for Children
and Families helps vulnerable children, youth and
families))
((NATS, MUSIC))
((NATS: Dana Marlowe with woman))
Woman: That’s amazing. Thank you.
Dana: 35 states or whatever still have tampon taxes,
making it that much more out of reach for essential
items that most people who are menstruating need
every single month for 5,6 days a month, multiple
products per day.
((Leila Phillips, Volunteer - Donation Center,
National Center for Children and Families))
We’ve never received a donation of bras and
underwears here at the shelter. We don’t even have a
specified bin for that item.
((Dahlia Levin, Director - External Affairs, National
Center for Children and Families))
Being homeless is a huge crisis in your family. It’s like,
you want to worry about your period then?
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
Right. Hence why we do what we do.
((Dahlia Levin, Director - External Affairs, National
Center for Children and Families))
Yeah.
((NATS: Dana Marlowe with Jackson, So Others
Might Eat))
Dana: This is my son Micah.
Jackson: Micah, I am Jackson.
Dana: This is Riley. Riley say hi to Jackson.
Jackson: Riley, how you doing young man? Thank
you guys.
Dana: So we’re here to help unload today.
Jackson: Okay, I’m ready when you are.
Dana: Hold on. Micah can you grab those for me?
Maxi pads falling down.
+++++
((Micah Blay, Dana Marlowe’s Son))
Today, we were bringing bras and maxi pads to this
homeless shelter.
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
My boys are comfortable seeing and talking about bras
and periods.
((Riley Blay, Dana Marlowe’s Son))
It’s normal for a woman to have her period.
((NATS))
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
There are so many euphemisms that we’ve put on in
society to not have to say the word menstruation.
Everything from on the rag, crimson tide, that time of
the month. Menstruation is really just a very normal
body life cycle.
((NATS, MUSIC))
((NATS: Dana Marlowe with Kwanda, Client, So
Others Might Eat))
Dana: Hi, how are you? It’s getting warm out.
Kwanda: Yeah.
Dana: I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of
incredible women and girls who receive our products.
Dana: Riley, this is my friend Kwanda. Can you say
hi?
Kwanda: Hi Riley, how are you? How is life treating
you?
Dana: Women are so grateful to receive the bras and
the tampons and pads and underwear.
Kwanda: They last longer and you don’t have to go to
the bathroom as frequent. It holds you better for
women especially in the homeless community.
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
To date, we have around 50 I Support The Girls
affiliates from I Support the Girls Detroit to I Support the
girls Dallas, from I Support the Girls Phoenix to I
Support the Girls in South Florida, and I Support the
Girls in Australia and in Pakistan, and in all of these
different cities who are running our variety of programs.
((NATS, MUSIC))
((Dana Marlowe, I Support the Girls))
I Support the Girls love, love, love what you’re doing.
These are mostly bras for tweens and teens. I hope
they will make someone happy. From Jennifer…..
((NATS: Clients, So Others Might Eat))
Client: Silky blue, the baby blue bow, real nice.
Client: I took the black one and a beige one. I needed
black and beige. Every woman needs a black and
beige bra. Keep it easy. They go with everything.
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
I hope that people can take away how basic some of
these items are when it comes to dignity. When it
comes to periods, that they don’t have to worry where
they’re getting next month’s period supplies from
because having proper menstrual hygiene products and
having a bra that fits you and is supportive, does
provide so much dignity for an individual.
((Kwanda, Client, So Others Might Eat))
It means a lot because your clothes fit better, you feel
better and everything just goes pretty much better.
((Dana Marlowe, I support the Girls))
I hope that people understand how much of that self-
worth and personal value can be interrelated with
homelessness and dignity and bras and menstrual
products.
((NATS, MUSIC))
