Wicomico partners unveil first Eastern Shore “Pink Pantry” at Newton Community Center

Wicomico Women's Commission Chair Megan Alton, joined by partners from Reproductive Justice Maryland and students from Salisbury University, unveiled a “Pink Pantry” at Newton Community Center to provide free menstrual products to residents in Wicomico County and the Eastern Shore.

The pantry was presented as a community-driven mutual-aid effort intended to increase access to menstrual supplies for women and girls in the county. "We are actively looking for more members," said Megan Alton, chair of the Wicomico Women's Commission, describing the commission’s role advising the county executive's office and county council on programs for women and girls.

Organizers said Reproductive Justice Maryland donated the physical structure and served as a key partner in bringing the pantry to Newton Community Center. "Even if we help 1 person, we've made a difference," said Jakiya Johnson, executive director of Reproductive Justice Maryland, who attended with colleague Sharon Blugis.

The commission traced the pantry’s origins to a research project by Salisbury University students. "We identified the need of increased access to menstrual products in this community, and so we decided to do something about it," said Maggie, a Salisbury University student involved in the Period Power Project; Leanne, a fellow student, said their group completed the civic-engagement project as part of Salisbury University's Presidential Citizen Scholar program.

Speakers highlighted county-level data and need: a handout cited by the commission states that about one in eight women in Wicomico County experience poverty at some point, and that a larger share report some experience of period poverty. Dr. Cynthia Calix, physician deputy for the Wicomico County Health Department, called the Newton pantry the first Pink Pantry on the Eastern Shore and described the initiative as a "great community driven initiative."

A local civic club representative said the club had already been collecting similar items for homeless shelters and chose to donate that collection to the pantry. Councilmember Sharon DeShield of the City of Salisbury and "President Laperee" were acknowledged as attending the ribbon-cutting.

At the event a resident offered a personal recollection about past stigma around menstruation and framed the pantry as solidarity: "The Pink Pantry is more than a cupboard of personal products, but a way of saying, we support you."

Organizers said they hope the Newton site will be the first of several pink pantries placed throughout Wicomico County to expand community access to menstrual supplies.