Some Campbell County Public Schools could soon have a period pantry to provide free feminine hygiene products to students in middle and high schools.
Heidi Reynolds, who coordinates marketing and communications for Timberlake Family Pharmacy, said the pharmacy holds a community give-back event every month or every other month, and August’s community give back is attempting to establish period pantries within Campbell County schools.
“When I started reading the reasons for starting a period pantry, it seemed like a no-brainer, that obviously feminine products should be available for young ladies in the school,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said she reached out to counselors within the Campbell County school division and found a great need within the schools.
Brookville High School’s Director of School Counseling Traci Daniels said she sees a need for access to feminine hygiene products within the school.
“We have a lot of students that have financial needs, so [a period pantry] can be very helpful,” Daniels said. “[A period pantry] would just be a great addition to our clothing closet and small food pantry we keep here to help our students in house.”
Besides having access to feminine hygiene products, Reynolds said it’s important for young women to have a variety of products available to them.
Because Timberlake Family Pharmacy is close to Brookville high and middle schools, Reynolds said the pharmacy is hoping to establish period pantries in those schools this year and then branch out to other Campbell County middle and high schools depending on need and product availability at the pharmacy.
The pharmacy purchased four-drawer storage containers to separate sanitary napkins and tampons based on the product’s absorbency such as light and heavy, Reynolds said. Then, the containers will be delivered to the schools.
“The premise behind that is for them to see, because they know what their body is doing, there’s different absorbency levels, and they can get the product they need,” Reynolds said.
The pharmacy started collecting donations about two weeks ago and has collected almost three shopping carts full of feminine hygiene products, Reynolds said.
Although Brookville Middle School Counseling Director Andrea Dukes said the school always has had feminine hygiene products available for students, having a period pantry “would be a very nice thing to have in our clinic.”
“It’s just a natural thing everybody goes through, and it could be very helpful,” Dukes said. “It’s a great thought to consider what the teenage girls are going through, and anything to help with that would be great.”
Reynolds said reading about former Lynchburg City School Board member Jenny Poore starting a period pantry project last September in Lynchburg City Schools made her question whether they were available within Campbell County Public Schools. The question sparked her interest in conducting research on period pantries and why they are beneficial to young women.
“If you have $7 to buy a box of tampons, you’re typically buying one size or two sizes combined in one box. We’re going to provide access so they can actually get what they need,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said she “put out some feelers” to wholesale businesses the pharmacy works with as well as other businesses in the community. She said community members have also volunteered to assist with the project.
“It’ll literally give you chills that when people come in [the pharmacies] that they know there’s a need, but they don’t know what exactly the need is and how to get involved,” she said.
