Local vendors show their wares at last year’s Periodpalooza fundraiser. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Periodpalooza

San Antonio-based Periodpalooza, a group that supplies menstrual products to people who struggle to afford them, will hold its annual fundraiser this Saturday at Brick at Blue Star.

The circus-themed event will include entertainers and vendors along with educational booths providing information on menstrual health, equity and resources. The gathering will raise money and collect menstrual products for donation to underserved members of the San Antonio community.

One in four U.S. teens and one in three U.S. adults — especially teens of color and those from low-income households — struggle to afford feminine hygiene products, according to one 2023 study. This condition, called “period poverty,” can lead to individuals missing school or work and dealing with negative health outcomes.

“Our mission is to ensure that no student has to miss school due to lack of access to menstrual products,” Periodpalooza Fundraising Coordinator Payton Samudio said in an emailed statement. “Through community engagement and direct action, we hope to break the stigma surrounding menstruation and provide tangible support to those who need it most.”

Entry to the Periodpalooza fundraiser is donation-based. Attendees are encouraged to bring pads, tampons, liners, menstrual cups or period underwear.

Periodpalooza directly supports local schools and organizations, and Saturday’s collected donations will go to East Central High School, Young Women’s Leadership Academy and the Department of Defense Youth Program — STARBASE Kelly, according to organizers. The group aims to collect enough supplies to support students for an entire year.

Free, but donation of menstrual products required, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 1, Brick at Blue Star, 108 Blue Star, (210) 265-6072, brickatbluestar.com.

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This article appears in Feb 19-25, 2025.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...