The Sevastopol National Honor Society has been on a roll in the new school year. The group came in hot by organizing a fun run that benefited those in our community with cancer, planning a teddy bear toss to benefit Help of Door County, as well as volunteering at Birch Creek and at the Altrusa Annual Gala. As 2025 began, the group had a new idea that was brought up by supervisor Mindi Vanderhoof.

“One year when I was at Globals Destination Imagination, we were working in a prop garage next to a group of girls whose service project was to end period poverty and that was my first time being introduced to this idea,” Vanderhoof said. “Later, when visiting Algoma, I saw their version of a period cart and knew it was something that we could do at Sevastopol.”

Period poverty is something that millions are affected by all over the world. Those who can not afford products are often forced to use unsanitary options, or go without. Period poverty can also affect those who are forced to miss class time in order to change their product or to find a new one.

After meeting on the topic, the group got started by planning where they wanted to have carts as well as what product they were going to need. President, Eve Andreae, headed the project.

“Our goal was to help not only the high school girls, but also any girl or woman in the school who may have a need for these products,” Andreae said.

 The consensus was to fill five bathrooms with all sorts of period and hygiene products like tampons, pads, baby wipes, and even tide sticks. 

As the group planned, they reached out to the community for help and donations. Not only did people bring in boxes full of products, but they also generously donated money to buy the carts and any additional materials that were needed. 

While the carts have not been implemented yet, keep on the lookout for a cart in your nearest bathroom and feel free to take what you need.