Oak Park’s village government is collecting donations to help provide women and girls in need with free menstrual products.
The event is part of an international “Period Action Day” campaign encouraging communities around the world to organize events focused on ending “period poverty.” The initiative, founded in 2019, is aiming to donate 1 million menstrual products to those in need through dozens of local drives taking place on Saturday, Oct. 11.
“Did you know that nearly 1 in 4 students in the U.S. struggle to afford period products,” the village said in a statement. “With this reality in mind, the Village Clerk’s office is joining Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps in observing Period Action Day with a special event from 2 to 5 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 11 at 6614 W. North Ave.”
Event attendees will receive bags filled with a variety of menstrual products. Event organizers are accepting period product donations in the lobby of Oak Park village hall in the lead up to the event. Village hall is at 123 Madison St.
Organizers hope to distribute at least 75 bags, with any bags still left over after the event being distributed to students at local schools.
The “period swag bag giveaway” is a collaboration between Village Clerk Christina Waters’ office, Stamps, 1st District Women’s Commissioner Mary Gardner, the Chicago Teacher’s Union, the Proviso West Suburban branch of the NAACP, Top Ladies of Distinction Inc. and Walgreens, according to event information published by Period Action Day.
Walgreens has donated over 8,000 period product kits to Chicagoland girls’ organizations this fall, the company announced last month.
Nearly 17 million menstruating women and girls live in poverty in the United States, according to the National Institute of Health. Nearly half of all teen girls also report experiencing stress or embarrassment over lack of access to period products, according to a 2023 study commissioned by menstrual product brand Thinx and nonprofit organization PERIOD.
Oak Park Township and River Forest Township also accept period product donations for their “hygiene closets,” which provide free access to hygiene and self-care products to local youth.