Last month, the Holy Cross Science Alliance and Social Justice Committee joined together to sponsor the menstrual product drive to help end period poverty. Students, teachers, and staff collected and donated over 14,000 menstrual products such as pads, tampons, and liners to I Support the Girls, (ISTG).

ISTG is a local non-profit organization whose mission is to gather and disperse essential items to allow women experiencing homelessness, impoverishment, or distress to stand tall with dignity. 

Alison Simon, Science Alliance mentor, believes that this mission is significant in this community given that it is an all-girls school. 

“I think it is really important to understand issues that affect one group of people and make sure [those people] have a voice,” Simon expressed. 

Senior Camilla Karns learned about the problem of period poverty in her global health class last year. She offered that documentaries, news channels, and social media are the best ways to be informed of these dilemmas. 

“Anyone who menstruates should be educated on the issues of menstrual inequity,” Karns said. 

Because ISTG highlights that “pandemics don’t stop periods,” Karns was inspired and decided to take on the project and continue the drive after Covid-19 had adjusted school activities. 

“Other organizations are slowing down in their drives because of the pandemic, but [I Support the Girls] made a very good point of not stopping,” Simon explained.

Global health teacher, Ashley Gardner, thinks that ISTG is the best organization for AHC to pair with because it is closeby. 

“[It’s] wonderful that we can do our own part in our area to provide women in poverty with products we take for granted for having,” Gardner added.

In addition to the issues in the Holy Cross community, the Social Justice mission of the school also highlights the problems happening in the country. 

“It is important that we realize that we may be a country that has a very developed economy, but we still have huge inequities in this country,” Simon acknowledged. “and [menstrual inequity] is just one example.” 

As well as recognizing problems, the science department often spotlights opportunities to bring local change to those problems.

“Think global but act local,” Simon summarized. 

Gardner shared that her biology classes have been discussing what menstrual inequity is and why it happens. 

“The fact that we’re starting to have a conversation about it is a good thing because it gives people a better understanding,” Gardner pointed out. 

Karns shared advice for anyone who is passionate about making a difference in the world.

“It’s better to take action and to do something,” Karns suggested.