{"id":80913,"date":"2026-11-10T08:25:56","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T13:25:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=80913"},"modified":"2026-11-10T09:39:08","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T14:39:08","slug":"utc-criminal-justice-professor-tackles-period-poverty-through-love-period","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/11\/utc-criminal-justice-professor-tackles-period-poverty-through-love-period\/","title":{"rendered":"UTC criminal justice professor tackles period poverty through Love, Period."},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_80918\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" ><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"880\" height=\"861\" data-attachment-id=\"80918\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/11\/utc-criminal-justice-professor-tackles-period-poverty-through-love-period\/processed-e8aa78a6-4836-4be1-bc79-7ff8aa85e522\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/11\/processed-E8AA78A6-4836-4BE1-BC79-7FF8AA85E522-e1794255819414.jpeg?fit=1222%2C1195&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1222,1195\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"processed-E8AA78A6-4836-4BE1-BC79-7FF8AA85E522\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/11\/processed-E8AA78A6-4836-4BE1-BC79-7FF8AA85E522-e1794255819414.jpeg?fit=880%2C860&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-80918 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/11\/processed-E8AA78A6-4836-4BE1-BC79-7FF8AA85E522-e1794255819414.jpeg?resize=880%2C861&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Courtney Crittenden in a red shirt stands with a woman in a black shirt behind a table with a red table cloth that says &quot;Love, Period.&quot;\" style=\"max-width: 100%;\"style=\"max-width: 100%;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/11\/processed-E8AA78A6-4836-4BE1-BC79-7FF8AA85E522-e1794255819414.jpeg?w=1222&amp;ssl=1 1222w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/11\/processed-E8AA78A6-4836-4BE1-BC79-7FF8AA85E522-e1794255819414.jpeg?resize=1024%2C1001&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/11\/processed-E8AA78A6-4836-4BE1-BC79-7FF8AA85E522-e1794255819414.jpeg?resize=768%2C751&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/11\/processed-E8AA78A6-4836-4BE1-BC79-7FF8AA85E522-e1794255819414.jpeg?resize=800%2C782&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/11\/processed-E8AA78A6-4836-4BE1-BC79-7FF8AA85E522-e1794255819414.jpeg?resize=580%2C567&amp;ssl=1 580w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/11\/processed-E8AA78A6-4836-4BE1-BC79-7FF8AA85E522-e1794255819414.jpeg?resize=610%2C597&amp;ssl=1 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Courtney Crittenden (right) tables at a Love, Period. event. Photo courtesy of Courtney Crittenden.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In 2019, Dr. Courtney Crittenden led a Sunday school class at St. Paul\u2019s Episcopal Church in Athens, Tennessee, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">which sparked<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> an idea.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A biblical passage about menstruation led her to research period poverty, or the lack of access to <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">affordable<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> menstrual products.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">She learned <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">that an<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> estimated one in five girls nationwide missed school because they didn\u2019t have access to period products.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cIt\u2019s just so unfair,\u201d said Crittenden, a UC Foundation Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. \u201cIt is biological and happens to 50% of the population. It\u2019s not talked about and kids are missing school. That was insane to me.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Crittenden brought the issue to her church community, where four other women offered to help. Together, they founded Love, Period., a ministry that provides free menstrual products to people across East Tennessee.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Seven years later, the organization expects to distribute a record 120,000 to 125,000 <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">period<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> products in 2026.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWe just decided to do something about it,\u201d Crittenden said.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Love, Period. supplies products to schools throughout McMinn, Meigs and Polk counties. It also distributes products to local libraries, the YMCA, public bathrooms, food pantries and correctional facilities.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Crittenden, who now chairs the organization\u2019s executive committee, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">said the group aims to keep expanding.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cFrom the beginning, our focus was on sustainability,\u201d she said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want to have this go for two or three years and have people start to depend on us and then we fade out.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">At UTC, Crittenden teaches students about the criminal justice system, including corrections and the experiences of women who enter the system. She discusses issues of fairness and access to basic necessities, including menstrual products.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Those concerns led her to push for Love, Period. to expand into local jails.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWhen we were able to get buy-in from our supporters to go into jails, it was probably the proudest I was,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is just a basic human dignity issue and women should not be without products.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Love, Period. now supplies products to jails in McMinn, Meigs and Polk counties.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Crittenden said her students have also helped Love, Period. with the work.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">After learning about the organization, UTC <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Associate Professor of Psychology<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Ruth Walker added it to a list of community service opportunities for students in one of her courses. Several traveled to Athens to help pack bags of menstrual products for distribution.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The organization also participates in UTC\u2019s annual Health Fair, where volunteers distribute products and talk with students about menstrual health.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Love, Period. accepts monetary donations and menstrual <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">products. People<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> can reach out through <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">its<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> social media accounts <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/loveperiodchatt\/\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">(@loveperiodchatt<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">) to request supplies or learn how to help.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Crittenden said she is encouraged by younger generations, especially her students.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cI really love that this generation that we have in college and the ones coming after them talk about periods more and more and are less ashamed about it,\u201d she said.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">After seven years of helping people access menstrual products, Crittenden still sees how necessary the work is.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cIf you miss school, you miss opportunities,\u201d she said. \u201cIf we can keep people in the classrooms where the opportunities are, especially in those formative years, but also in college, where period poverty is a huge issue.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"font-weight: 400\">Learn more<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/arts-and-sciences\/departments-and-programs\/criminal-justice\">UTC Criminal Justice<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/enrollment-management-and-student-affairs\/admissions\/visit\">Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.utc.edu\/apply\">How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 2019, Dr. Courtney Crittenden led a Sunday school class at St. Paul\u2019s Episcopal Church in Athens, Tennessee, which sparked an idea.\u00a0A biblical passage about menstruation led her to research period poverty, or the lack of access to affordable menstrual products.\u00a0Crittenden brought the issue to her church community, where four other women offered to help. Together, they founded Love, Period., a ministry that provides free menstrual products to people across East Tennessee.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><span><a class=\"more-link button text\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/11\/utc-criminal-justice-professor-tackles-period-poverty-through-love-period\/\"><span>Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2000,"featured_media":80920,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,70,61,3,122419,7712,8325],"tags":[125966,127071,127061,127950],"class_list":["post-80913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-academics","category-college-of-arts-sciences","category-community","category-criminal-justice-college-of-arts-sciences","category-faculty-and-staff","category-news","category-service","tag-courtney-crittenden","tag-goal-2-2-faculty-staff-success-strategic-plan-2030","tag-goal-5-1-community-engagement-strategic-plan-2030","tag-love-period","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UTC criminal justice professor tackles period poverty through Love, Period. | UTC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In 2019, Dr. Courtney Crittenden led a Sunday school class at St. Paul\u2019s Episcopal Church in Athens, Tennessee, which sparked an idea.\u00a0A biblical passage about menstruation led her to research period poverty, or the lack of access to affordable menstrual products.\u00a0Crittenden brought the issue to her church community, where four other women offered to help. Together, they founded Love, Period., a ministry that provides free menstrual products to people across East Tennessee.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/11\/utc-criminal-justice-professor-tackles-period-poverty-through-love-period\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UTC criminal justice professor tackles period poverty through Love, Period. | UTC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In 2019, Dr. Courtney Crittenden led a Sunday school class at St. Paul\u2019s Episcopal Church in Athens, Tennessee, which sparked an idea.\u00a0A biblical passage about menstruation led her to research period poverty, or the lack of access to affordable menstrual products.\u00a0Crittenden brought the issue to her church community, where four other women offered to help. 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