July 21, 2021
Jilly Pads is a humanitarian mission dedicated to distributing period hygiene to people who menstruate and are experiencing scarcity. The hashtag for the group is #doyouhaveapadyes. Jilly Pads was created by Jillian Ward-Butler, who saw a need in her community.
"I started this when I was nine," says Jillian. "I had just had my first period and I learned that menstrual products were super super expensive for something that you're going to need all the time." She saw an opportunity to help out, and she enlisted the assistance of her mother.
"I had my mom to help me out," she says. "But I wondered about other people who didn't have help, so I decided to try to make these products free for anyone who needed them."
Now she's 13 years old and Jilly Pads has helped hundreds of people over the past four years.
She comes from a family of community organizers in Louisville, Kentucky. Her sister Rebecca Ward, who started Clothe The West to rally her neighbors, friends and family to contribute to those in need, joined us on our podcast to talk about her project, while their mother works in mental health services. Clearly the family is looking out for others, and Jilly Pads is an extension of those efforts.
Jillian came up with the name and the logo, and then she built an Amazon Wish List in an effort to get the product donations. She uses her logo sticker to help brand the bags where she puts the menstrual products.
Most recently, Jillian was named an ambassador for the Southern Black Girls and Women's Consortium, and she's hoping to keep growing her network to help more people. "I feel really excited when I see people smile when I give them the stuff," she says. "It makes me feel like super warm inside knowing that I made their day by giving them free feminine hygiene items in a time of need."
Here at StickerGiant, we are focusing on the many communities of care that exist in our customer base, and Jilly Pads proves that #OneGiantCommunity just keeps on giving, one bag at a time.