Published on May 16, 2022
A few months ago, senior Kendall Penkunas had a vision. Kendall noticed that feminine products weren’t always readily available or accessible for some female students in high school. She had an idea to bring period product vending machines into the high school and reached out to members of the Warwick United group for assistance.
Kayla Cook, a Warwick parent and active member of the Warwick United group, listened to Penkunas’ idea, and got to work. After looking into vending machine options, considering future budgets, and weighing the pros and cons, she took the idea and worked to make it more feasible for future years to come.
The Warwick United group began reaching out to local businesses, placing large collection boxes around Lititz, and created a Venmo account to allow community members to donate money or feminine products to be distributed within our schools.
In the past, Warwick United has been involved in a variety of similar community projects and events such as clothing drives for students, school supply drives for teachers, and other events.
The Importance of Menstrual Product Drives
This project is very important for a number of reasons. Menstrual cycles can be incredibly unpredictable and can result in discomfort, ruined clothes, or embarrassment for our female students. A 2021 US Study of High School Students showed that 23% of students struggled to afford products, and another 51% wore products longer than recommended.
On March 20th, the Warwick United group launched a social media campaign asking for individuals or businesses to donate tampons, pads, and liners of different strengths and sizes. With the help of our incredible community, the Warwick United group has collected over 1640 pantyliners, 2900 light/medium pads, 1220 heavy pads, 540 light tampons, 2650 regular tampons, and 2540 heavy tampons.
CAREs Grant
Back in March, Kayla Cook applied for a Community CAREs grant to help fund the menstrual product drive. The Community CAREs grant is an annual grant that Cook was able to apply for through her job with Penn Medicine, at the Lancaster General Office. In April, she found out that she had been chosen to receive a $500 grant to put towards the project.
What’s Next?
Cook is looking forward to meeting with our school administrators in the near future to discuss ideas for the use of grant funds to put towards additional period products. Warwick United group members will be delivering the donated products to school nurses in all six of our buildings.
How can you help?
If you’re interested in supporting these efforts, we encourage you to stop by one of the many collection bins around town to donate supplies or make a financial contribution through the Venmo account, @WarwickUnited. The group is constantly hosting different events and drives, so they’re always looking for an extra set of helping hands!
For more information about the project or to join the Warwick United group, reach out to Kayla Cook at Warwickunitedforpurpose@gmail.com.