DUWIB Hosts Period Product Drive for DMARC

Last fall, Drake University Women In Business (DUWIB) was looking for a service project that would give back to women in Greater Des Moines. After a bit of research, the student organization came across the idea of hosting a tampon and pad drive, and decided it was a perfect fit. Recognizing that one in four menstruating people do not have access to period products due to a lack of income, the group coordinated with DMARC and held a drive for period products at the student center on campus.

“Something as natural as a period should not be holding people back from their everyday lives,” said Kaitlin Palko, Community Outreach Chair for DUWIB. “Since we started putting on the drive, it has been a very humbling and eye-opening experience.”

Earlier this month, DUWIB held their second period product drive for DMARC. The drive brought in 532 tampons and pads, which DMARC does not purchase with its Food Pantry Network funds, making the drive and donations that much more important for the people we assist.

“DMARC relies on donations of these items due to their high cost, so drives that focus on liners, pads, and tampons are central to our ability to provide this form of community support,” said DMARC Community Outreach & Volunteer Manager Shoshana Salowitz. “Just as nutritious food is fundamental to health and wellbeing, so too are period products that ensure menstruating people are able to live full, happy, healthy lives.”

In addition to raising period products for the community, DUWIB hopes the drive will also raise awareness of the fact that one in four menstruating people struggle to access period products due to lack of income, with one in five missing work or school due to lack of access.

“Everyone seemed really interested in the drive since accessibility to feminine products is not something that gets thought about a lot, so it was super awesome to be able to shed some light on this,” said Palko. “We are going to be putting on this tampon and pad drive for DMARC every semester in the future, which I am really excited about. We hope putting on this drive will motivate people to look for more opportunities to get involved and really become a part of this community.”