Philadelphia is now home to the nation’s first menstrual hub, The SPOT Period.

Lynette Medley and her daughter, Nya McGlone created the hub to provide women in poverty with feminine hygiene products and create uterine care awarness. Medley a licensed therapist realized the harsh realities of period poverty when her young female patients brought it to her attention.

“To pay for your rent, food and then also have to pay for menstrual products, it’s a difficult situation,” said Medley.

It inspired her to start No More Secrets: Mind Body Spirit, Inc where she and her daughter would hand out pads and tampons from the trunk of her car, but once the pandemic hit she realized the need was even greater.

“I think it was really exposed during the pandemic we had our people who were in deep poverty but then we had people who suffered from horrible economic hardships from losing theirs jobs, to losing wages, to a partner losing wages and then realizing there were no resources for feminine hygiene products. I think that uncovered the disparities around something as normal as natural as menstrual products not being addressed in our community” 

To do more, they needed more space. Medley started a GoFundMe and the community responded. Giving them enough money within a few months to fund The SPOT Period.

The facility is located at Wayne Junction in Germantown. It is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

“I want them to feel at home. I want them to feel they are safe and this is just a sweet reunion to coming in and understanding who you are and gaining dignity,” said Medley.