APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Appleton Area School District is partnering with several community organizations to combat period poverty, or inadequate access to menstrual hygiene products and education.
Through the Monthlies Project, every district school will have period products, like pads and tampons, available to its students. Over 5,000 period products were distributed to Appleton schools as a result of the initiative’s first order back in December.
Wisconsin is one of many states that still taxes menstrual products; other states, like Michigan, have opted to remove the tax and consider the items essential.
The district says that the high cost of period products makes it difficult for people, especially teenagers, to afford the products. And not having a tampon might have a bigger impact than you might think.
“This is really important for our community because we know there are girls who miss school because of — if you don’t have access to period products, you’re not going to go to school,” explained Julie Keller, executive director of the Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region. “So, we don’t want that to be a barrier for anyone, and we want the access to be as easy as possible.”
Each school is handling distribution differently, with some having the products available right in the bathrooms and others operating out of the nurse’s office.
The Monthlies Project is funded by donations and has set up a fund through the Women’s Fund to distribute period products to Fox Valley schools and community programs.
Looking forward, the initiative hopes to work on advocacy issues regarding the “tampon tax” and continue to reduce the stigma surrounding menstruation.
