By Debra Messick

CAMBRIDGE - For women and girls of a certain age, sanitary pads and tampons aren’t luxury items; they’re necessities for functioning at work, school and home.

And like everything else, their cost continues climbing.

For many, the ongoing need to purchase these must-have feminine hygiene products can be a nuisance and a budgetary challenge, especially for those suffering from fibroids and heavy monthly periods.

But for those who are homeless and others unable to afford to purchase them at all, the situation is critical, according to social worker Tavonya Chester.

Recently, after a client confided that she wasn't able to buy them at all, Chester decided to try and help.

A member of historic service sorority Zeta Phi Beta since 1989 Chester received strong support for the idea from the Soror members of its Eastern Shore chapter, Iota Chi Zeta.

Chester, who works for the Dorchester County Health Department, hit the ground running, spearheading a successful drive to collect donations of products and money to purchase them.

Donors included Walmart, Shore United Bank, Summit Bank, Queenstown Bank, Aetna Insurance Company, Jerry Taylor, Robin Stanley, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

Chester has been busy shopping and filling box loads of approximately 50 products, with hopes of delivering several to each of six Cambridge locations on Friday, June 14:

- Waugh Chapel United Methodist Church, 425 High St.

- Bethel AME Church, 623 Pine St.

- St. Vincent de Paul Church, 2000 Hambrooks Blvd.

- One Mission Cambridge, 614 Race Street St.

- Maces Lane Middle School, 1101 Maces Lane Road

- Cambridge South Dorchester High School, 2475 Cambridge Beltway

Chester is hopeful that by delivering the products to the two schools now, they’ll be supplied in September, helping prevent girls who can’t afford the products from staying home and missing school.

One church also requested donations of bladder control products for seniors who couldn't afford them, so Chester has included a limited number of those.

Chester and Iota Chi Zeta would love for the program to become an ongoing one if the community can provide enough support. For now, they are happy to be helping at least some of those in need.

To donate products or money to support the outreach program, email Chester at Sweet_tee30@yahoo.com.

Zeta Phi Beta was founded on January 16, 1920, at Howard University. Recently Iota Chi Zeta, the single Eastern Shore Chapter, was honored as Maryland Chapter of the Year for its outsized program of community service programs, despite its smaller number of members.

The group’s Stork’s Nest program offers a monthly Let’s Talk Workshop Series on topics related to pregnancy and motherhood. Those attending can earn points to acquire free items such as strollers.

Education is another major focus of Zeta sorors, who have locally adopted Choptank Elementary School. The chapter awards the Sarah Hicks Jolley Scholarship to three Shore high school students and the Mary McEachin Thompson Scholarship open to those age 25 and over for returning to college.

(Tyonna Perkins of Cambridge South Dorchester High School, one of the 2024 recipients, is pursuing a secondary education degree at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in September.)

Next year the sorority will award a scholarship honoring one of the group’s many distinguished educators, Dorchester County School Board member and New Beginnings executive director Dr. Theresa Stafford, who passed away in December 2023.