Hood Students Helping Women in Need

Where will you sleep tonight? What will your next meal be? How will you keep yourself clean while on your period? Feminine hygiene products are one of the most highly requested items in homeless shelters and are also one of the least donated. When seven students from Hood College learned this, they decided to launch Project Astraea. Due to the stigma surrounding menstruation, we have been trained not to think about tampons or pads. However, Project Astraea aims to end unequal access to feminine hygiene products by bringing light to an underrepresented problem and connecting donors, non-profits, organizations, and those in need.

Women in need often resort to hazardous or unsanitary methods of caring for themselves while on their period because they don’t have access to the products that they need. We decided that women deserve a constant and guaranteed supply of feminine hygiene products that are available to them in a dignified way, any time of day or night. To supply these women with the products that they need we built the Equal Access box. It’s weatherproof, it’s pink, and it’s smashing the stigma associated with menstruation. Donors can drop unopened pads, tampons, or underwear in the Equal Access box so then, someone in need can visit the box to take what they need. We are currently developing a website where donors can see, in real time, what Equal Access boxes need specific products. Our website would also be useful to consumers, showing them where to find boxes and other shelter resources in the area.

We believe that Project Astraea will further the community that we love by creating a user-friendly and easy donation system, raising awareness for feminine hygiene product needs, and by creating a system that allows 24/7 access to these products. We’re excited to launch Project Astraea, and we believe that our project will benefit the Frederick community and will bring light to an underrepresented issue. We believe that every woman, no matter the circumstances, deserves a safe, hygienic, and dignified way to care for themselves. Period.