01/03/2024
By Paulette Renault Caragianes

Imagine having to choose between buying food or purchasing period products. This is not a hypothetical, but a real dilemma for many college students, including our own at UML. Lack of access to these essential products is known as period poverty and can lead students to miss school and work during their periods when these essential health and wellness supporting products are not readily available.

Ann Ciaraldi, Associate Dean who oversees the pantry characterizes the need for period products as critical. "Demand for period products is high. Donations never sit on the shelf for long and we often run out almost as soon as we get new stock. The cost of buying these products is prohibitive for many of the students who utilize the pantry."

You can help by donating to state Rep. Vanna Howard's Period Project drive, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 from 10 a.m. to noon. The most requested items are tampons, pads and underpants. Beneficiaries of this drive includes our own STRIVE Food Pantry, along with Alternative House, and the food pantry at Middlesex Community College.

Please drop off your donations on Saturday, Jan. 6 at Middlesex Community College, 33 Kearney Square, Lowell. If you're unable to donate in person, you can still support UML student need by visiting the Amazon STRIVE Wish List.