We’ve all had that moment where we find ourselves in a public place without a tampon or a pad. It’s a feeling of complete dread. You become unable to do anything until you have this fundamental, human need solved.

For many people, that feeling of dread isn’t occasional—it’s common. Not having access to period products or other personal care essentials like toothpaste, deodorant, and diapers, limits a person’s capacity to move through their day with confidence. It keeps people from going to school or to work. It holds people back from reaching their full potential.

Despite the fact that these products are overproduced, food banks and shelters have historically not been able to fulfill the need. And assistance programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants and Children Assistance Program) don’t cover personal hygiene products at all. It’s been reported that 58% of individuals with low-income cut back on food to afford personal care items.

We realized: personal care poverty has never been about lack of product availability. It has always been about lack of access.

We want to change that. We want to make sure that the people who need personal care products can get them, easily. We want to help make sure that local food banks and shelters are fully stocked. So we started Essential Good – a nonprofit on a mission to increase personal care equity by making essential goods accessible to every body.