UT medical students collect, donate menstrual hygiene items

May 8—A group of University of Toledo medical students donated thousands of menstrual hygiene products to underserved portions of the community, and they're continuing their efforts to see how period poverty affects women and girls in Toledo.

Ten students from various groups — including the American Women's Medical Association, the OB/GYN Club, SCAPula, and the community care clinics — teamed up early this year to collect products to provide them to women and girls who may have trouble affording products to manage menstrual bleeding.

"For me, personally, it's my lifelong goal to provide medical care to the underserved children, and that's where I see my future going as a physician," said Emily Warner, 25, the president of AWMA and a first-year medical student from Toledo. "Looking at the ways, while I'm going through medical school, to begin to make a difference in the lives of kids in our community who don't even have resources for periods, I feel like it's a good way to get involved early and make a difference."

Students across the country responded to a survey by Thinx and PERIOD showed one in five teens has struggled to afford menstrual products or were not able to buy them at all, while 84 percent of teens have missed class or know someone who missed class because they didn't have access to products.

"It has an impact not only on their health but also on their mental health and their abilities to reach their full potential," said Madison Feeley, 22, another first-year medical student from Toledo. "No one asked for a period."

Over the past several months, the students collected and purchased pads, tampons, liners, and shampoo and conditioner — about 4,700 items in all — to help tackle local period poverty.

They set up drop-box locations on campus to collect donations, but they also opened an Amazon wish list for community members to purchase products. They also collected about $920 through monetary donations, a magnet and sticker fund-raiser, and a $250 Give and Grow grant from Gleaner Life.

With the money, the students purchased reasonably-priced products from Enpuzzlement, a local nonprofit organization that supplies local donated goods to other charitable organizations.

Then, the medical students created roughly 220 menstrual-hygiene kits, which included an assortment of 20 products — the average number a woman uses during a single cycle, Ms. Warner said.

About 158 menstrual hygiene kits were recently donated to Leading Families Home, which provides resources to homeless families as they transition to permanent housing. Development director Valerie Vetter recalled stories of girls missing school because they didn't have adequate products to protect them.

"There are those out there that recognize the need and do whatever it takes to make sure they make a difference," Ms. Vetter said. "It doesn't have to be 158 kits — if they came here with five kits, that helps tremendously."

The medical students expected to finish their menstrual hygiene product drive last weekend, but it was so successful that they're continuing their efforts with a research component to learn about period poverty's localized effects.

The students are teaming up with Dr. Coral Matus, professor and associate dean for foundational sciences, to work with school-aged girls and women throughout Toledo in the fall.

They hope to determine if lower-income communities have access to such products or how women and girls may ration supplies during their periods. They're also looking to see if participants skip daily activities during their cycles, Dr. Matus explained. Menstrual hygiene kits will be provided to those in need.

Products and monetary donations can be accessed at https://linktr.ee/menstrualhygienedrive. Those with questions can e-mail endperiodpovertytoledo@gmail.com.