Community organization receives donation to help schools get feminine dispensers in bathrooms
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RIGBY — A group of local women that are pushing for girls to have better access to free feminine hygiene supplies in middle and high schools bathrooms has received a significant donation to help their cause.
Avrey Hendrix created the “East Idaho Period Project” back in January, which is a community organization that has about 15 women in it from the Jefferson County area. The group began with 10 women and has since grown.
“My whole goal is having a 21st-century bathroom. I just think it would be awesome if our girls grew up in a world like that,” Hendrix said.
Hendrix told EastIdahoNews.com that the Upper Valley Child Advocacy Center donated $30,250 to the East Idaho Period Project. Hendrix said the money will help provide schools in the region with feminine dispensers in the girl’s bathrooms. Each dispenser comes with a refill of 500 tampons and 500 pads.
“The support has been so great. We are just so grateful to the schools that have chosen to participate and support this for their female students,” Hendrix said.
She explained about 30 schools are going to participate and receive dispensers in the bathrooms in the following counties: Bonneville, Butte, Custer, Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhi and Madison.
In February, EastIdahoNews.com reported on the East Idaho Period Project and how Hendrix wanted to spread awareness.
Hendrix created two surveys for both parents and students to fill out and get data from around the region. They hoped the data would help give a better understanding of what students and parents need and would like to see. One of the questions in the survey asked, “Would you like to see free menstrual products offered in campus bathrooms?”
Hendrix said as of Monday night, there were over 200 surveys submitted by parents and over 70 surveys submitted by students in the local region.
One of the questions asked in the survey to students was, “If your school had feminine products that were FREE for you to take if needed, would this contribute to your well-being?”
Hendrix shared some of the comments from students with EastIdahoNews.com.
One of the comments by a Rigby High School student said, “If free feminine products are provided in the bathrooms and locker rooms, then girls wouldn’t have to face the awkwardness or embarrassment of walking from the bathroom to the office and then back to the bathroom. We don’t need everyone knowing we’re bleeding.”
Another comment from a Clark County school student said, “It would make me feel safer knowing they are there if I need them.”
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Hendrix said that some of the comments were heartbreaking and they encouraged her to continue working to make changes in eastern Idaho. She now has another goal — to create personalized weekly packs for students filled with feminine hygiene products.
“We have worked with the schools. They have an enrollment form. Any girl that wants to or is in need, they can sign up for it, and then they can choose what they want in their pack and then with all these supplies, we will make weekly packs and deliver them to the schools so they are personalized for each student,” she said.
In order to create the weekly packs, Hendrix explained the East Idaho Period Project has kicked off a donation event that has begun this week and will run until May 8. There will be locations from Blackfoot to Ashton outside of different stores that will have a pink container where people in the community can donate feminine supplies. Below are the locations participating.
“(For people) that don’t have access to (feminine products), if we can give that to them, then their whole life will be better,” Hendrix said. “I just think our resources are our kids and if we are helping them now then it will just make our world better.”