By: Jada Sundermeier –

The facts are staggering.  And so is the dollar amount. Menstruation is expensive. Here are the monthly necessities that come with a cycle.

Here’s what you need:

Tampons ($7 per box)

Liners ($7 per box)

Pads ($7 per box)

Painkillers ($9 per bottle)

Heating pads

Birth control ($25 a month)

Probably new underwear ($5 a pair)

And extra money for cravings that week ($25)

Overall, that’s $85 per month spent on your period and $1,020 per year spent on your period. That’s without tax. Yes, believe it or not, if you buy any products such as tampons, liners, pads, etcetera, you are taxed. These are considered luxury items.  Now, think about this: some people cannot afford to buy these things. That’s where the Tampon Drive ties in.

The Lincoln Southeast tampon drive was held April 3 through April 13 by the Feminist Club. Many people donated tampons, pads, liners, and other feminine hygiene items. The total number of tampons donated by LSE was 3,492 and the number of pads donated was 11,716. Three participants of the Tampon Drive and Feminist Club were all surprised by the number raised this year compared to last year. It was three times the amount of last years.

Lincoln High School also participated in the Tampon Drive, collecting 1,629 pads and 1,472 tampons. In the future, Lincoln Southeast and Lincoln High both want other schools to participate.  “Word of mouth is an important part in getting others involved and getting them to donate,” said Hailey Vanek (10), a proud participant in the Feminist Club. “If you show you are doing something, that can make your friends decide they’d like to do it.”

Raising these products for people in need is a big impact on our community. “The Tampon Drive is just as important as the food drive and the clothing drive. We raise the products to help people who can’t get them because it’s a necessary thing that people with periods need,” said Abby Carey (10), another participant in Feminist Club.

Sara Danielson, an English teacher and one of two sponsors of the Feminist Club says, “I like the Tampon Drive for a lot of reasons. Mainly because it works on multiple levels. Not only is it a meaningful service project for the students but for the people outside of the project.” The Feminist Club took the collected products to People’s City Mission on April 21. “It also works with the stigma of feminine hygiene products. So instead of saying ‘Ew! Gross.’ and being secretive, it’s ‘Oh, yeah, bodies are just bodies. Bodies need accessories and products to help them get through the day. It is just a body and bodies just need things.’”