A student organization at TCU is tackling period poverty in the Fort Worth community by collecting menstrual products and assembling kits for those in need. 

The drive, organized by TARE — TCU Advocates for Reproductive Equity — primarily collected pads, tampons and sanitary wipes to donate to The Welman Project. 

The Welman Project is a non-profit organization that collects school supplies for teachers to take as needed.

“I’m sure they don’t get a lot of period products, but I’m sure teachers do need those things, students do need those things, so our goal really is to supply them with as much as we can,” Gabby Campos, a senior computer information technology major and TARE’s president, said.

On Sept. 29, the group organized a “Period Kit Packing Party” where students gathered to assemble donated products into kits, each with enough pads to last one menstrual cycle. 

“Period poverty is a real issue and it affects many young women,” Campos said. 

Last semester, the organization hosted a drive that donated around 5,000 products to Fort Worth ISD schools. This semester, the group aims to expand its reach beyond Fort Worth ISD to serve schools across Tarrant County.

This semester, a large part of the donations came from Girls Inc. of Tarrant County, a nonprofit organization that supports girls from third grade through high school, with several of their alumni being TCU students. 

“Girls Inc. of Tarrant County was really happy to provide 200 menstrual pads to the organization and 100 tampons,” Suzana Delgado-Gray, the chief operations officer, said.

The drive looked to address period poverty while also promoting reproductive justice, emphasizing the importance of creating safe and healthy communities and inviting students to engage in activism.

“We had more support than I expected, not just from donors, but also from TCU students,” Campos said.