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\"So many people are shocked when they learn about period poverty being so prevalent here,\" Bush said. \"I think that we often assume that something like that couldn't happen in the U.S.\"

It is estimated that 143,000 girls in the New York City area and 88,000 in the Los Angeles area have missed school because of period poverty, according to a 2019 study by Always.

\"When a family has to choose between rent money or food money, that means that they don't have the financial resources to buy packages of period products every month,\" Bush said. \"And it's a devastating reality for a lot of people who just are not getting the support that they need in this country.\"

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