This is one of Suffern Rotary's newest community service initiatives developed by one of our member's that volunteers at the Sloatsburg Food Pantry. Many of those in need of food are also in need of basic hygiene products which are not available in food pantries or covered by Medicaid or SNAP benefits. Feminine hygiene products have become increasingly expensive and women need these products in order to go about activities that support themselves and their families. The donation campaign for feminine hygiene products is linked to the Women's Distance Festival held annually in July at Rockland Lake partially due to a fellow Rotarian Mike Siedenfrau being one of the event's coordinators.
The Women's Distance Festival was created by the Road Runners Club of America as a protest to a lack of competitive races for women both in the Olympics and nationally. It was though at as late as the 1980 Olympics, that women could not compete at distances of greater than 1500 meters, which is less than 1 mile!! In America, in July of 1980, the first Women's Distance Festivals were run opposite the Mens' Marathon at the Moscow Olympics, and they are still run throughout America on the first Saturday after July 4th (unless in falls on the 5th, 6th or 7th) nationally. The Rockland Road Runners picked up the Women's Distance Festival in 1988, and it has now grown to be the largest Women and Girls 5k in the tristate area!
