American students provide homeless women with free pads and tampons

For women, menstruation is a natural and regular part of life. But for those experiencing homelessness, finding a pad or tampon can be harder than finding a meal or a new pair of socks.

Rayna Blackburn, who has been homeless on and off for the past several years, tells Portland street paper Street Roots how she would fashion her own pads when she couldn't afford them or find any at local shelters.

Periods can be a nightmare for homeless women. REUTERS/Andy Clark

"I took a towel and cut it in pieces and used a plastic bag to wrap them with… I would wash one, let it dry while I was using another so I could rotate."

When turning to shelters for help, Rayna adds that she has sometimes been offered nothing but a paper towel. "I've seen [other women] take tampons and rinse them out and reuse them," she says. "It's not OK."

Unsanitary products, a lack of clean spaces to change a tampon or pad, or using the same product for too long can all lead to serious and sometimes fatal bacterial infections, such as toxic shock syndrome.

Some shelters and aid agencies keep small supplies of pads and tampons on hand, but even then, they are available only to those who ask.

"These are really natural needs but the idea that these topics are private doesn't only exist in the society but also within individuals," says Nadya Okamoto.

L to R: Giselle Cohen, Vincent Forand and Nadya Okamoto.

The 15-year-old is one of eight high school students from Portland, Oregon, who founded Camions of Care, a non-profit that provides free feminine hygiene products to women living on the streets.

Since December 2014, it has delivered more than 350 care packages across Portland, which contain enough pads, tampons and fresh wipes to last a woman six days, the average length of a period.

The project aims to empower women and destroy the view of pads and tampons as mere "comfort items".

Camion's co-founder Giselle Cohen adds that, "if you don't have the supplies to handle your own body, you can't advocate for yourself in the same way. You can't be looking for a job during that time. So that's four to six days a month where you have to basically be secluded."

Public support for the project, which now works with 50 volunteers, continues to grow. Street Roots is among many organizations now partnering with Camions of Care to distribute the packages

As of January 2015, Camions of Care expanded their service to homeless women in Salt Lake City, Utah through a partnership with Legacy Initiative. You can read more about their work here. 

This is a summary of an article by Ann-Derrick Gaillot originally published by Street Roots. It has been made available to other INSP members via the INSP News Service here. (Photo of Camion's founders by Reuben Schafir).

Our vendors: Harry Richards - Street Roots, Portland

Drug addiction led Harry Richards into homelessness and eventually prison. But time behind bars helped him discover a new habit - drawing. 

The aspiring artist now earns a living selling Street Roots from his pitch outside the Starbucks at Southwest Ninth Avenue and Taylor Street in Portland, Oregon. 

Harry has also drawn caricatures on the street for tips and donations since 2010.

Harry Richards sells Street Roots in Portland, Oregon. Photo: Sarah Hansell

But Harry doesn't just share his art with people who are willing to tip. Many of his subjects are poor or experiencing homelessness, so he draws them for free.

"I lived my life selfishly for many, many years being a drug addict,” said Harry. “Now that I've been off drugs for over six years, I want to give back."

Harry learned to draw in prison by doing scale drawings and looking at cartoon books. He's come a long way since then. 

He now lives in a two-bedroom apartment with his nephew and nephew's friend, and has plans to convert the master bedroom into an art studio. He draws and paints abstracts, architectural and spiritual art, and sells it online with the help of his producer, who discovered him in 2008.

Drawing caricatures for money, however, isn't a viable option for Harry all year round. So when he met someone selling Street Roots in November 2013, he decided to try it for himself. 

Since then, Harry has brought four more people to Street Roots. "It's better than being dependent on other people and having no self-esteem," he said.

Harry enjoys the people he gets to meet while selling papers - from doctors, lawyers and orchestra musicians, to people from around the world staying in downtown hotels. 

He encourages people to seek out Street Roots as a source of income, as well as an opportunity to connect with others. 

"Even if you can't trust right now, you're still gonna make social friends, which can open you up to show that the world is kind," Harry said. 

"All you gotta do is look at it from a Street Roots point of view, which is don't judge and you won't be judged."

This is a summary of an article by Street Roots reporter Sarah Hansell published on INSP's News Service. Street paper editors can view, download and republish the full article here.

Our vendors: Paul Ortiz - Street Roots, Portland, USA

On a cold, spitting December afternoon Paul Ortiz walks from the food carts at Southwest Third Avenue and Stark Street back to the Street Roots office to check his mail and pick up more papers.

Paul began selling the Portland street paper in August 2014 and has become a familiar face on his regular pitch. He uses the money he earns to buy basic necessities and help his girlfriend pay her bills.


His style of selling is understated but visible - he holds the paper out to the side and says “Best paper in town, one dollar” as people walk past. The key, he says, is to be there day after day, so that people know he’s serious about the work.

He says the people who pass by his turf are all kinds, ranging from openly cold or snobbish to remarkably kind.

The vendor has an accepting attitude toward people in general, having experienced both the charitable and cruel sides of humanity from living on the streets.

When a potential customer gives him the cold shoulder or says something nasty, he just shrugs it off and gets back to work. There’s always the next person.

With a past blighted by drugs and crime in California, Paul started a new life when he found a steady job riding with a travelling carnival, setting up the booths and stages and rides in towns across California and southern Oregon.

The job took him to Salem, where he quit and settled for a few years. He got married, got divorced, and decided to head for Portland, where he got clean for good. Eventually, Paul began selling Street Roots which became his main source of income and also an opportunity to network and build friendships.

He attends writing workshops at the street paper’s offices and takes the time to meet vendors new and old, because he knows and cares about the people he shares the streets with.

“I give what I got,” he says. “If I have more than I need, there’s plenty of people out here who can use that.”

Did you know INSP works with over 114 street papers around the world? You can help celebrate thousands of vendors, like Paul, by joining our Thunderclap social media campaign during #VendorWeek 2015. Sign up here.

Calling out around the world! Dancing in the street with Portland’s Street Roots

The Street Roots team are dancing in the streets of Oregon in a brand new celebratory video, as the street paper prepares to go from a fortnightly to a weekly publication.

The unique flashmob-style video follows the paper from printer to public, culminating in a toe-tapping finale.

It is at the forefront of a fundraising drive to help the paper double its print frequency.

Since 1998, Street Roots has been Portland’s flagship publication addressing homelessness and poverty.

From 2 January 2015 their vendors will have a new paper to sell every Friday.

“Street Roots will be going from a biweekly to a weekly publication schedule to give vendors a more stable income week-in and week-out,” said Street Roots Executive Director Israel Bayer.

“It will allow the organisation to deliver quality journalism and commentary to our readers on a more timely basis. It's an exciting time for Street Roots and Portland.”

Vendor Eddie Zuber praised the award-winning publication. “Selling the newspaper makes my life feel more fulfilled,” he said.

“When I could not work because of my physical strength, I was able to sell the paper. There are so many good things I can say about selling Street Roots.”

For more information about Street Roots and their fundraising drive, see their website.