LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — When you think of school supplies, you probably think of paper and pencils. But Wendi Schweigart says pads should be on that list, too.
"We are on a mission to raise the message that period supplies are school supplies," Schweigart said.
According to a State of the Period survey commissioned by Thinx and PERIOD, 25% of teens have missed class because of a lack of access to period products.
"You can have your new pencils and books and your new shoes, but if you walk out of the door to go to school and you get your period and you don't have a pad, you're not going to school. What does that do to that student's future?" Schweigart said.
That's part of why she founded Project Marilyn in 2019. Named in honor of her mother, Marilyn, the nonprofit aims to give dignity back to people who have periods, by ensuring they have the basic necessities when menstruating.
Schweigart said she had initially founded the nonprofit with the goal of helping those experiencing homelessness get access to period products. Pads and tampons are expensive, and some federal programs, like food stamps, don't cover them.
But Schweigart said she quickly learned that a lack of access to these products isn't an issue only affecting those without food or shelter, but it impacts people from all walks of life.
"When you're a young girl, you could have many facets why you don't have period supplies. Your parents don't want to talk to you about it, you're embarrassed," she said.
So, Schweigart and Project Marilyn stepped in at the end of the last school year, when a vendor stopped providing pads for girls to take home from CCSD's fifth-grade growth and development class.
"They asked if we could lean in and fill that void, so we very happily rallied our period posse and we provided last year 12,000 smaller kits — 5 pads, 5 liners — to all the girls in the fifth grade. We're doing it again this year with a new goal date of October ninth," she said.
Nevada law requires schools to provide free basic period products in public and charter middle, junior high, and high school bathrooms, but Schweigart said she wants to ensure students have enough to take home, too, for themselves or for other loved ones who may have trouble accessing these necessities.
"We made a separate kit with 20 pads, 5 liners that we're going to offer to all middle and high schools that need them, elementary schools if they need them as well, to be handed out at the nurse's office, or the counselor," she said.
The organization also recently raised 100,000 pads through a "Pad the Bus" campaign with Communities in Schools, which will offer those items to students on campuses across CCSD.
Schweigart says there are multiple ways people can get involved with Project Marilyn's mission. You can join what she calls her "period posse" and help pack period bags. You can also make a monetary donation to support the cause. You can find more information about volunteering and donating at www.projectmarilyn.com.
She said what it's really going to take to end "period poverty," though, is raising awareness about the issue and normalizing conversations about menstruation. Only then, she says, will access to period products improve.
"Share our mission, talk about periods. Don't be embarrassed," she said.
