SAN ANTONIO — Adriana Ruiz enjoys making a strawberry fields latte. It’s a drink she invented in her San Antonio coffee truck, Southbound Coffee, but she brought this seasonal drink back early for one reason. It was a popular drink during the seasonal menu.

A portion of the drink’s proceeds will be donated to Period Palooza, a collaborative organization looking to tackle period poverty — which is defined as a lack of access to menstrual products. 

“This is really cool collaboration between small businesses and just women involved in the community,” Ruiz said. 

Janelle Martinez, co-owner of Dulce Suenos Coffee Lounge, is one of 13 business owners with donation boxes for Period Palooza. The collected items are distributed to four organizations that aid people in need of menstrual products. 

“Some people have light menstrual cycle. Some people have a very heavy menstrual cycle, which means more products,” Martinez said. 

In a 2019 study, two-thirds of people in poverty said they didn’t have access to menstrual products. Even though the State of Texas dropped taxes on menstrual products in September, Martinez believes it’s not enough.

“But I have heard stories when a woman had to choose between putting food on the table for her family or buying these products,” Martinez said. Ruiz agrees. 

“Sometimes it’s not going towards personal hygiene. Sometimes you need to spend it on food or bills or rent,” Ruiz said. 

Ruiz is grateful for the donation boxes, but one business, Chifladas Cocktail Bar, took it further by building a permanent donation spot. 

“It makes it feel more real and it makes it feel like its something not so temporary, but instead like a lasting a fixture in the community,” Ruiz said. 

They plan to add 10 more businesses to the list of donation locations.

“Because we are women in business now, we are trying to use our platform to really try and do something for our community, so it’s really kind of bringing us all together,” Ruiz said.