A woman will spend 6.25 cumulative years in her lifetime menstruating and spend an average of $18,000+ on items related to menstruation. Did you also know that 1 in 7 college students either experienced homelessness or lacked a stable living situation? Most states still have a period tax on these products, further increasing the burden. Students who menstruate experience an additional financial burden that may lead them to choose between food and feminine hygiene products. Due to this, some women use the same sanitary product for much longer than recommended, leading to significant health risks such as infections and even death from toxic shock syndrome.

Most bathrooms on campus do not provide any menstrual products, even for purchase.

Our intermediate goal is to raise money and collect products in order to set up bins with free menstrual hygiene products in the female bathrooms at UNC Charlotte. Further on, we hope to change university policy to have the university provide free menstrual products in all-female and gender-neutral restrooms on campus. Just as they provide other toiletry products such as toilet paper, seat covers, soap, and paper towels, period products should be treated like the essential hygiene product that they are! Let’s eliminate the choice between a meal or a pad!