The Help A Girl Out grassroots effort in Berks County has announced their 2025 product drive collection numbers. Started in 2021, this marks the fourth year for the county-wide call for feminine products to assist women and girls in the region suffering from period poverty.
Muhlenberg Greene Architects, JPrutzman Enterprises, Co-County Wellness Services, Helping Harvest, and Be Mine Boutique in West Reading collaborated this year to launch the Fourth Annual HAGO product drive, held during this past February.
This year, the 2025 final count for number of products donated is 86,151. This is up 82% from the 47,314 donations received last year – a spike in donation growth of 137%. Back in 2023, the group collected 19, 928 units of product. 2022 was the first year of the product drive.
After the rise in donations in 2024, the need for a more orderly process for distribution arose. HAGO formed new partnerships this year with Helping Harvest and Co-County Wellness Services to help cover distribution needs including warehousing and ordering arrangements.
On Friday, March 7th HAGO drive organizers and collection sites gathered at Helping Harvest to receive, sort, and count donations. Volunteers spent the day working alongside the staff at Helping Harvest, keeping the process organized and efficient.
International Mrs. East Coast, Emily Kenniston Fitzpatrick, was present in her pageantry finery to support the cause. “As International Mrs. East Coast, I’m passionate about supporting causes that center on women’s health – both physical and mental, and as the mother of a daughter who is closely watching everything I do, I’m a firm believer in leading by example.”
The local celebrity went on to say, “It has truly been an honor helping with and supporting Help A Girl Out alongside some of Berks County’s most amazing women this year, and I can’t wait to see where we go from here.”
The robust inventory collected throughout the day and during a final overflow week filled 16 Gaylord boxes (48 x 40 x 36″ each on a pallet). The HAGO drive items will be housed at the Helping Harvest warehouse pending distribution. Groups and Organizations that need products may contact Co-County Wellness to request an order form to request stock of these necessities for their communities.
The 2025 drive had an ambitious goal of doubling the amount of donation boxes out in the community. 60 collection boxes were placed this year at more than 30 locations throughout Berks County. Local institutions including Fleetwood Bank, Gallen Insurance,and The Farmhouse Kitchen are a small representative of the variety of businesses that show concern about how period poverty affects our local economy, and population.
This year, expansion into Schuylkill County via HAGO’s nonprofit partners provides an additional growth point. Next year, it may be possible to have a Schuylkill County kickoff and expand programming.
Suzanne Cody, organizer and co-founder of HAGO said, “I’m incredibly humbled and grateful to our community for hearing this call to action and feeling moved to assist. Together, we can provide women, girls, and all menstruators, with the necessary items to go about their daily activities with dignity.”
“Statistically, if 1 in 4 teen girls in Pennsylvania are not going to school because they lack access to products – perhaps this collective can help get the future workforce back in class, getting educated, so they can become future leaders. Women can continue their roles in the family and in the workplace without being additionally burdened. My sincerest thanks to the community for their willingness to take this issue head on. Berks is rising to the occasion.”
For more information, or to sign up to host a collection box next year visit: https://bell-media-group.shorthandstories.com/HAGO/index.html
