One More Page is honored to host a fundraiser for The Kwek Society, a nonprofit that provides period supplies to U.S. Indigenous students, their peers, and their community members to end period poverty.
Fifteen percent of the day’s sales will be donated to The Kwek Society, so buy, learn, and do good. If you can’t shop in person, you can order online on October 10th and those purchases will count towards the fundraiser! Don’t know where to begin your online shopping? Start with our online catalog highlighting some books by Indigenous authors.
The Kwek Society was founded and is operated by a Citizen Potawatomi tribal member (Eva Marie Carney) who lives in Arlington. The Kwek Society works to support the dignity and health of Indigenous people living in the United States who are at risk for period poverty, and to celebrate their “moon times” (also known as periods). It offers a wide range of period supplies and, when requested, puberty education materials. As part of its dignity and celebration message, it also shares traditional teachings about puberty and periods and includes puberty education materials for the public on its website. You can read these here: https://kweksociety.org/learn/.
Period poverty is an unjust, unconscionable problem across the United States, not just in Indian Country. It is a top reason students miss school – as many as one in four students can’t afford needed period supplies. The Kwek Society focuses on serving Indigenous people in particular because many of the people behind The Kwek Society are Indigenous – e.g., eight of its ten Board members are Indigenous women – and it has not identified another period supplies organization in the United States dedicated to Indigenous relatives. (Kwe’k – pronounced “Queck” like “trek” – means “women” in Bodwewadmimwen, the language spoken by the Potawatomi people.)
The Kwek Society has grown quickly since beginning its work in 2018. To date it has distributed close to 6 million supplies (pads, tampons, liners, and underwear). Currently it supports over 260 schools, clubs and nonprofit groups across 26 U.S. states. It welcomes visitors to its website (www.kweksociety.org) to learn more about its work and reach, and hopes you will check out its social media posts to learn more and find more ways to help: TheKwekSociety on Instagram, KwekSociety on Facebook, The Kwek Society on LinkedIn and kweksociety.bsky.social on Bluesky.
The fundraiser falls on the same date as Period Action Day. If you are able, please bring to the store (but only on October 10th!), a package of pads, tampons or liners to share with the students The Kwek Society supports.