Diane Cushman Neal: Helping to Fight Food Insecurity and Period Poverty

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” –Dr. Jane Goodall

JFS donor Diane Cushman Neal chooses to live her life by following Dr. Goodall’s quote. “We all have a choice on how we interact with each other,” shared Cushman Neal. “What impact do you want to make?” For our clients and community, Cushman Neal’s impact is far-reaching.

In her early 20s and after being told she had six months to live, Cushman Neal moved to Colorado. While it took years to receive an official diagnosis of cystic fibrosis, Cushman Neal credits her doctors at National Jewish Hospital for giving her a second chance at life—a chance that turned six months into 30 years and counting.

Cushman Neal started volunteering with JFS 28 years ago, helping a family resettle from Russia. Coincidentally, she was in the process of adopting a child from that country. “The experience was eye-opening for me. I never really thought about the complexities around everything, like enrolling your child in school, for example,” she said.

Fast forward to 2021, with two grown children and lockdowns courtesy of COVID-19, Cushman Neal thought about children not receiving meals at school. She reached out to her local food pantry and was shocked to learn that items needed most were personal hygiene products—not food. In follow-up conversations with JFS, she learned that when women came to the food pantry, they only received six pieces of period products.

Believing that no one should have to decide between buying food or hygiene products, which are not covered by federal programs like SNAP and WIC, Cushman Neal worked with JFS to organize a virtual hygiene campaign. In a whirlwind of activity and determination, the drive was held 30 days later and raised $18,000 plus an $18,000 match from the Cushman Neal family, representing an astounding 80,000 diapers and 6,000 months of period products—all organic and eco-friendly.

After hearing JFS Chief Advancement Officer Jessica Zeidman say, “You’re not finished,” Cushman Neal fully launched Donations for Dignity to fight the hidden crisis in our communities; the inability to afford or even access everyday hygiene products like soap, period products, toothbrushes, toothpaste, diapers, and wipes.

If a person is food insecure, they’re most likely experiencing hygiene insecurity, as well—both of which limit their ability to be present. They may miss work or school, which ultimately affects their mental health. Creating access to food and hygiene products is a collective effort. In addition to partnering with JFS, Donations for Dignity generously funded our stateof-the-art Mobile Food Pantry, which will travel to Denver neighborhoods and housing complexes with high percentages of food insecurity and to community and recreation centers and include necessities like soap, diapers, wipes, period products, and more.

47% of women currently menstruating report experiencing period poverty. 41% have worn the product longer than recommended to stretch the use, subjecting them to health risks.

57% of those with children in diapers struggle with diaper need. 53% report not having enough diapers for their children, needing to borrow from others or go without changing them.

60% of women with children struggled to purchase basic hygiene products.

Learn more at DonationsForDignity.org.