-Courtesy of Aversa PR & Events
photo by the Manayunk Wingwoman Initiative

In honor of Women’s History Month, dozens of female-owned businesses in Manayunk have teamed up to help support women in the community. The MYNK Wingwoman Program invites neighbors, visitors, friends, customers and clients to donate essential items for postpartum women and other products to support women’s health and wellness. Items can be brought to over two dozen participating business locations on Main Street through March 31, 2024.

All collected items will be donated to Grab-N-Flow, which stocks free-to-the-community menstrual and postpartum product sheds that are open to those in need and are located throughout Philadelphia. The list of items being collected includes pads, prenatal vitamins, witch hazel pads, stool softeners, numbing spray, postpartum adult diapers, postpartum underwear, unopened baby formula, diapers of all sizes, and pregnancy tests. For those that want to make a monetary online, MNYK Wingwoman is also supporting Woman Against Abuse, Philadelphia’s leading domestic violence advocate and service provider, and one of the largest domestic violence agencies in the country. Everyone that donates this year will receive a free MNYK Wingwoman vinyl sticker as a special thank you for supporting this important program.

For more about this special community initiative, visit:
https://thelittleapplestore.com/blogs/blog/become-a-manayunk-wingwoman-with-us

Brandy Deieso, owner of The Little Apple and organizer of The Manayunk Wingwoman initiative, thanks everyone for helping make Women’s History Month a time to not only just appreciate the incredible, brave, and brilliant women that have paved the way for us throughout history but to also use it as a chance to help our own neighbors right now

“In celebration of Women’s History Month, we didn’t want to just sell some cool and amazing lady-inspired gifts in the store, we wanted to also give back and make a difference,” said Deieso. “We reached out and gathered the amazing women of Manayunk and designed a program to help support women in our community.”

“A couple of years ago I saw a news piece about an inspiring Philadelphia woman, Shelley Aragoncillo, who had created Grab-N-Flow, a free-to-the-community menstrual and postpartum product shed that is located in Philly available to anyone in need. It’s stocked with much-needed, critical supplies for women giving birth, newborn essentials, and other products for feminine health and wellness. Items in need include maxi pads, postpartum underwear, prenatal vitamins, baby bottles, formula, diapers of all sizes, and many more. These items are often expensive and not affordable for many women despite being a necessity.”

She continued, “For the third year in a row, I reached out to some of my fellow amazing women business owners in Manayunk asking if they would like to join together as ‘The Manayunk Wingwomen’, and with the help of our beloved and supportive customers and clients, collect these super important things for this super important initiative. Join us by dropping off the needed items to any of the participating businesses drop-off points from March 8th thorough March 31st!”  

Between March 1 and March 31, 2024, the community can drop off donations at any participating business listed below.  All supplies collected will be sent to Grab-N-Flow, which stocks free-to-the-community menstrual and postpartum product sheds that are located in Philly and available to anyone in need. All participating locations are currently accepting pads (lots and lots of pads), prenatal vitamins, witch hazel pads, stool softeners, numbing spray, postpartum adult diapers, postpartum underwear, unopened baby formula, diapers of all sizes, and pregnancy tests.

The growing list of participating businesses and drop off locations this year includes:

Awakenings Pole and Aerial Fitness Studio
Chabaa Thai Bistro
Chloe Madeleine Salon
Chrissy Ertz Real Estate
Citrine Glow Medispa
Crust Vegan Bakery
Enterprise
J Glow Beauty
Rowzone Fitness
Lila Philadelphia
Minor Details
Never Give Up
Pet Friendly Dog Bakery
Remix on Main
Soul Healn
Starshine Salon
Sulimay’s Salon & Barber Studio
Susan Beard Studio
The Little Apple
The Nice Needle Nurse
The Wall Cycling
Vamp Boutique
Walk This Way
Yanako

Also, new this year, Deieso and the Wingwomen have added another option to help women in the community. For those that want to make an online and monetary donation, the program will also help Woman Against Abuse this year. One hundred percent of monetary donations will be giving to the organization to help them provide quality, compassionate, and nonjudgmental services in a manner that fosters self-respect and independence in persons experiencing intimate partner violence and to lead the struggle to end domestic violence through advocacy and community education. Please venmo MNYK Wingwoman organizer @Brandy-Deieso with your donation, or stop at The Little Apple.

For everyone that drops off donations this year, Deieso has a special surprise as a thanks for the generosity. Donors will enjoy a custom free Manayunk Wingwoman vinyl sticker in all new designs, while supplies last. Also, select participating female-owned businesses will also offer their own goodies, discounts and rewards to make the charitable giving even more fun.

“Thank you for helping us make Women’s History Month a month to not only just appreciate and think of the incredible, brave, and brilliant women that have paved the way for us throughout history, but to also use it as a chance to help our own women neighbors now,” said Deieso.