ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — Books aren’t the only free things you may find at the Miller Branch library. In the bathrooms, patrons will find period products at no cost.
Behind the effort is a group of passionate students, led by Mount Hebron High School senior Isha Ande.
WATCH: Teens fundraise to provide period products free of charge
“I saw that the bin was almost empty,” she said. “It’s a really silent victory. Because obviously these people are not telling you that they’re using your products. But you can see it. And you can see that you’re helping people.”
Founder of the period club, Ande was inspired by a personal experience. One that’s universal in becoming a woman, realizing she didn't have what she needed when that time of the month hit. So, she called her mom.
But wondered about others who may not be so fortunate.
“Why do I as a girl or a woman have to try to find these products frantically when these should be available to me for free?” She asked. “I think that menstrual products are not a luxury, they're a need. A necessity."
Ande and her peers tried to lobby Howard County Council to fund the project, but were unsuccessful.
It kind of makes you think like, is something that small not worthy? Is something women need not worthy of being in the budget?” She said. “I wanted to prove that idea wrong.”
They’ve since found more than $2,700 in funding through a Maryland Youth Advisory Council grant, winning a big idea competition through the Residences at Vantage point, a retirement home in Columbia and a donation from the Elks Lodge.
It allows them to supply all six of Howard County's library branches, which began at the start of the school year.
“With that offer how could we decline? COO for public services Marcy Leonard said.
“Our community really supports youth leadership and youth service. And so, to know that it is the young people who are leading us in effort it's just a gift. And it's one that the community members don't take lightly,” Leonard added.
According to the NIH, more than 35% of people who menstruate are “victims of period poverty” and do not have access to clean water, sanitation and essential products.
Currently, Maryland law requires the products to be supplied in middle and high schools.
Ande says their next goal is to draft a bill that would expand that mandate to public buildings in each county. They are also continuing their fund-raising efforts.
"You're turning a blind eye to those who are not in those institutions, who are maybe single moms who have to decide between groceries or period products,” Ande said.
