Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Arevalo.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 2016, I had the idea of starting a period product drive to donate to homeless shelters in the Coastal Bend. Finally in November of that year, I decided to make a go fund me and uploaded a short video to my Facebook page talking about how people experiencing homelessness don’t have access to pads and tampons. In 12 days, I ended up raising $1200 through just social media!
I then went to Sams Club and nearly bought every box of period products that they had and donated them to The Purple Door and the Mother Theresa shelter in Corpus Christi, Texas.
As I was doing the go fund me, I found out about a nonprofit called Period, The Menstrual Movement and I reached out to the founder and told her about what I was doing. She responded back pretty quickly and said I should start a chapter of Period. I decided to take some time to think about it and then a few months later, I started my own chapter in Aug/September of 2017. Our first ever donation went victims of Hurricane Harvey and I believe it was around 200 period packs (bag with nine tampons and six pads).
We started doing fundraising events at different local markets and little by little we started spreading the word about our mission. In 2018 I was a Corpus Christi 40 under 40 honoree for my work with Period. In 2019 we worked with Texas A&M University Corpus Christi to get free menstrual products in the restrooms. Later that year I was the lead organizer for the first-ever National Period Day Rally in Austin, Texas. To this day, my chapter has donated over 50,000 menstrual products to shelters in the Coastal Bend.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the most part the community has been very accepting and every time I tell someone about Period I am met with excitement and gratitude for what we do. But there has definitely been struggles. We had a “march to end period poverty” to celebrate getting free menstrual products in the restrooms at tamucc and every local news outlet was there which was awesome! But when I got home and checked Facebook, I saw all the horrible comments from people who were saying things like “pads and tampons aren’t even that expensive” “what a waste of the school’s money” etc. But I have learned that there will always be ignorant people but it will never stop me from doing what I love.
Please tell us about Period Corpus Christi.
We are a community chapter of Period. The Menstrual movement and we fight to end period poverty and period stigma through service, education, and advocacy. Not only do we donate products to shelters but we also educate the public about reusable menstrual products and menstrual hygiene health. We believe that period poverty (inability to afford menstrual products” is an issue because of the stigma associated with periods so a lot of it is educating the public to not be afraid of them because it’s just a natural process.
I am most proud of our #NationalPeriodDay campaign! There were hundreds of rallies all across the nation and it was so amazing getting to see it trending on Twitter!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I would definitely say my empathy. Ever since I was a child, I have always been super sensitive with my emotions and other people’s emotions so I think the fact that I can feel for people allows me to do what’s right in the community.
Contact Info:
- Email: ashleyaarevalo@gmail.com
- Instagram: period.corpuschristi
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeriodCorpusChristi/
Image Credit:
Daniel Mondragon
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
