NORFOLK — The Women & Girls Fund hosted a personal product kit-making session at the Norfolk HUB on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 6 p.m. The event began with refreshments and brief speeches from secretary Jen Pfaltz and chair Fran Stoffer. Later, attendees were invited to create their own personal product kit featuring feminine products such as pads and tampons.
The Torrington-based group was founded 25 years ago and started as a personal product program for smaller food pantries. The group was founded in Litchfield by a group of women who recognized this lack of resources and felt compelled to act. The group got its start as a “giving circle” but now boasts over 600 supporters to help raise money for events and feminine products. Since many smaller food pantries have tighter budgets, feminine products are often neglected. At the event, Pfaltz described “period poverty” and shared that “women who cannot afford proper feminine products often are forced to miss school or work during that time of the month.” Stoffer asserts, “Our mission is to invest in the power of women and the dreams of girls.” The kit-making products for the Norfolk HUB event were provided by a private funding source. The group’s next goal, however, is financial independence, and they hope to eventually no longer rely solely on grants from generous donors.
Every 5 years, the members of the Women & Girls Fund review the segment of society toward which they should generate their resources. Right now, it is focusing on the remainder of the pressures that the COVID-19 pandemic has left on young women. “We want to make sure we have the resources to help women be self-confident,” said Stoffer. The group hopes to expand even farther beyond Norfolk to other small towns in the area and is excited to announce that they will soon be beginning a pilot project in Kent at the Kent School.
