Bras, tampons, pads and panty liners are female necessities that come at a high cost. For the women who cannot afford these supplies, Distributing Dignity is there to provide them.

Distributing Dignity was founded by Lehigh University alumnae Joanie Balderstone and Rebecca McIntire. They were doing donation work in Camden, New Jersey, receiving gently used business clothing from an organization they belonged to.One of the women who was a recipient of donated clothing pulled Balderstone and McIntire aside and thanked them for the clothing, but expressed her concern for not having a decent bra to wear under the clothes.Balderstone and McIntire did research and found most women don't have these necessities because although many donation sites receive toiletries, such as toothbrushes and soap, they seldom receive pads, tampons and panty liners.To receive these necessary items, they decided to throw a party for their female friends and family. The party was Mardi Bra themed, and they asked the attendees to bring a donation of new bras or feminine hygiene products.People ended up bringing bags full of items, and Balderstone and McIntire said they ended up receiving over 80 new bras and thousands of pads and tampons from the party.The two hosted the party as an annual event for a few years, but were not able to in 2012 because Balderstone's mother passed away. They weren't in the mindset at the time to throw the party, but they still wanted to be able to make a donation.The women decided to use Facebook to spread the word about the donations they needed, and as a result they received donations from women and sorority members they went to college with.With the help of the donations they received from Facebook, the two were able to make a donation that spring."It was really that display of generosity that we felt that led us to believe we should be doing this on a bigger scale," Balderstone said.They have continued to host similar events and have an upcoming St. Paddy's Day party on Friday.Many of their donations come from these parties and events, but they also receive support from individuals or groups who form their own collections of new bras and feminine hygiene products.Balderstone said they use "dignity" in their organization's name to show that they're not just giving the items to women, but they also want to send a message to the women that they deserve it, are worth it, and people care and support them.Balderstone said she feels privileged to do the work she does, but Distributing Dignity has also allowed her to meet and work with many people, going from the social workers they work with to the women who receive the donations."We've been able to meet a tremendous amount of fantastic people who are interested in giving back to the community and interested in helping each other," Balderstone said."It's really been a very positive experience and a very positive outlook on the world for me to be able to have that experience."McIntire said they worked with about 12 partner organizations in 2014, including Turning Point in Allentown, although most of their work is in South Jersey and Philadelphia.She said Distributing Dignity has officially been in existence for one year, and they currently do a donation once a year depending on the supply and need. She said they hope to be able to do a donation twice a year, and eventually quarterly."I would love to see us reach the place where there is no woman in a position to have to go without these essential items," Balderstone said.