People Advocating for Sanitary Support is a philanthropic campaign that works to address the lack of female sanitary products for underprivileged and homeless women in the United States.

Lauren Pirrone, the founder of P.A.S.S., is an Iona College alumna and is now works in the College’s admissions office as an operations assistant. As a senior at Iona College, Pirrone became a member of the Iona in Mission team to Peru.

The team traveled to Canto Grande to work in the poverty-stricken area for two weeks. During the mission trip, Iona students helped build two homes and cared for the local children. When the team was wrapping up its trip, they decided to leave items behind that they didn’t feel the need to bring back to America.

“One of the items I didn’t feel the need to bring back was sanitary napkins,” Pirrone said. “To my surprise the local women and families we bonded with did not understand what they were used for.”

When Pirrone returned to the U.S., she did research and found that the misuse, or non-use, of sanitary napkins was not only a problem internationally, but domestically as well.

Pirrone decided she couldn’t just read studies on the issue; she had to do something to solve the problem. Pirrone decided to start to raise awareness for people in neighboring areas by creating P.A.S.S.

P.A.S.S. collects sanitary napkins, develops feminine care packages and distributes hygiene materials to local organizations in need. The idea is to change the stigma that feminine products are a luxury, when in fact they’re a necessity.

“Local organizations have told me mothers take unsanitary measures every month in order to take care of their family,” Pirrone said. “No person should be burdened with the choice of feeding their children or taking care of their hygiene.”

Iona College students, faculty and staff have co-sponsored and fundraised within the campus community while Pirrone runs communications and fundraises outside of the Iona community.

During Homeless Awareness Night, many products were collected to help organizations like My Sister’s Place and YWCA White Plains. Different clubs and organizations like Social Work Club, Gamma Lambda Rho and Phi Sigma Sigma participated in creating these packages during Homeless Awareness Night.

“The members of Phi Sigma Sigma took away that something so simple can so easily be taken for granted,” junior Scout Turner said. “It definitely opened our eyes.”

P.A.S.S. has raised over 3000 female hygiene products, created over 180 packages and will donate them to the local shelters including My Sister’s Place and YWCA White Plains.

“I see P.A.S.S. expanding on Iona College’s campus from a student initiative to hopefully a faculty and staff initiative,” Pirrone said. “My dream is for P.A.S.S. to become a sustainable non-profit organization and service Canto Grande, Peru where this original idea was created.”

If anyone would like to donate or be a part of P.A.S.S., contact Pirrone at [email protected] or the Social Work club.

This is a campaign, not a group, so it is open to everyone and can be an addition for anyone. Pass a hand to help empower girl’s/women’s health conditions, education and human rights.