Volunteers gather to assemble abortion care bags for community members during an abortion care bag party in Detroit last year. THe event returns this year on Sept. 13. Photo Courtesy: Brianna Bryant.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to be a community that pours into one another, especially when things get hard.”
As attacks on abortion and reproductive health care continue to escalate and the need for that same care continues to rise, more and more Michiganders are looking for ways they can help their local communities.
In Detroit, community members will soon come together to help out their local Planned Parenthood clinics in a unique way—by volunteering at an abortion care bag party.
“It’s really building the bridge of advocacy and clinic care, and also allowing volunteers to still be connected and to give back to someone visiting our clinics,” said Brianna Bryant, the regional community organizer of Detroit and Wayne County for Planned Parenthood.
Abortion care bags are small care packages given to patients after they’ve had an abortion at Planned Parenthood. The bags are often filled with menstrual pads, stress balls, heating pads, and other items that patients can use to rest and recover.
However, as attacks on abortion and reproductive health care continue to escalate and the need for that same care continues to rise, it can be difficult for the dozens of Planned Parenthood health centers across the state to keep abortion care bags on hand.
That’s where parties—like the one Bryant is organizing on Sept. 13 in metro Detroit—come into play.
During the event, Planned Parenthood community organizers will gather volunteers and donated materials to assemble over 300 abortion care bags that will be distributed to Planned Parenthood clinics in Detroit, Livonia, and Ferndale, supplying them with enough bags for patients for two to three months. The event will also feature speakers from Planned Parenthood, who will share their abortion stories.
Ryan-Simone Duncan of Detroit said that, while attending an abortion care bag party last year, she was able to connect with her community in a way she had never experienced before.
“It was just so amazing to see a group of people gather like that for such an amazing cause. It was just like an overwhelming amount of love,” Duncan said, adding that the event was one of the first times she ever felt comfortable sharing her own abortion story.
“I didn’t know if that group was going to be able to relate to me, but they were receptive to what I was saying and wanted to hear me. I felt like I belonged somewhere, and that was really nice,” Duncan said. Since that event, she’s felt empowered to share her story with others—including Democratic lawmakers, like Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, as they continue to fight for reproductive freedoms.
Michiganders interested in organizing their own abortion care bag event can check out the digital toolkit from Planned Parenthood. From recruiting volunteers to event setup to distribution, the guide has everything Michiganders need to host a successful event and help out other community members in the process.
“It’s important to invest in community when possible, regardless of whatever the issue or the advocacy that you’re looking for,” said Bryant.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to be a community that pours into one another, especially when things get hard.”
Check out Planned Parenthood of Michigan’s statewide abortion care bag wishlist here.
Related: Planned Parenthood extends telehealth to 7 days a week in Michigan due to growing demand
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