Ridgewood Teenager Donates Feminine Products to 6 Area Food Pantries

Jamie Longo, a Brooklyn Technical High School sophomore, has collected and donated more than 225 bags of feminine hygiene products to food pantries such as Hungry Monk to support people with periods who need products, especially in the wake of coronavirus. Jamie’s brother Jacob had previously teamed up with Hungry Monk to help fellow Queens families affected by coronavirus. Jamie decided to spearhead the period product initiative after realizing that pantries frequently don’t give people access to feminine products, and that these products are especially essential during this time. Jamie purchased products straight from distributors with the money she collected.

“The problem is these pantries do not provide for the women and young girls in need. The New York population is 51.5 percent female, yet these pantries do not provide feminine hygienic products while many of the women and young girls who need them can’t afford them,” Jamie said in a previous NYMetroParents piece. “So that’s why I want to help by giving these women and young girls with the products they need.”

Jamie discovered PERIOD through her research into period product access and became a chapter leader for the organization after reaching out to them for project guidance. PERIOD has addressed more than 1 million periods through product distribution, according to QNS, and there are more than 700 PERIOD chapters across the country. Becoming a chapter leader allowed Jamie access to more products and avenues of fundraising.