Over the week of October 2 through October 6, 2023 the Lincoln East Feminist Club, Nebraska Honors Society, and Student Council worked together to put on the feminine hygiene drive. With the rising problem of period poverty, East is trying to find an effective way to provide access to period products for women in need.
With the creation of Feminist Club in the spring of 2021, a much needed supply of menstrual products was added in the girls’ bathrooms, and has remained ever since. In addition to this, the East feminist club did a lot of lobbying for menstrual equity last year and LPS was successful in getting $100,000 allocated for providing menstrual products in schools. Because East already has the funding to provide these products within the school, the donations that are collected throughout the drive will go towards things like group homes, other schools that lack funding, Cedars, or F Street Community Center. As far as donations go, anything from tampons, pads, and liners to regular hygiene supplies like soap, deodorant, or toothbrushes are welcomed and in need.
“Overall, we hope that those who receive these products will be happier and healthier,” Grace Nieman, Feminist Club member, said. “Having access to these products is a human right which is why it is so important that we help those who have restricted access.”
Period poverty is a constant issue that women from all over experience, and free menstruation products are a necessity to help these women feel comfortable and healthy. With the feminine hygiene drive, Lincoln East is effectively advocating for the needs of all women.
“I think generally speaking, when people talk about hygiene and bathrooms and how to make people comfortable, they forget about menstruation, which is why up until the feminist club was created at Lincoln East, we didn’t have menstrual products in the restrooms because people sort of view women’s bodies as the same by default, but they’re not,” Cassidy Bell, president of Feminist Club, said. “To be comfortable month to month, we need feminine hygiene products, so we want to make sure that not just at school but in other areas where kids are receiving support, they’re receiving that kind of support.”
