SHOUT Club is bringing free menstrual products to Beaver Area High School girls’ bathrooms.
With a grant of over $3,000, SHOUT finally reached their goal—spanning last year—of raising awareness for period poverty and providing free menstrual products in all girls’ bathrooms.
In a national survey of 1,000 teens, Policylab found that “1 in 5 [teens] struggled to afford period products and 4 in 5 either missed or knew someone who missed class because they did not have access to period products.”
Some of the benefits of providing free menstrual products could be to limit girls’ stress and anxiety in school, and increase access to menstrual products which would, in turn, increase their health and safety.
With SHOUT’s helping hand, many Beaver Area girls can have peace of mind about their health and well-being, leaving the worry for tests and homework.
Not only will these available products provide a social and health benefit for menstruating teens, it could also offer academic benefits as about four out of five girls report missing school due to their monthly periods.
SHOUT is helping girls regain control of their academics leading to a more prosperous student body.
One senior, Alyssa Caldwell, stated that “Free period products would have definitely helped me to focus on school and keep my attendance up!”
The funding of these free products comes to us from PA Governor Josh Shapiro and his $3 million dollar budget allocation “to provide period products in schools to help close a gap in women’s health care.”
This donation to our school was part of the 2024-25 Feminine Hygiene Product Grant Program and “enables schools to provide access to period products at no cost to students,” reports the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
This funding is also proportional to the number of students enrolled in each school based on a rate of $1.75 per student.
I am happy to announce that these products were implemented into our building on the Day of Giving, November 27.
With this stroke of optimism, I leave you in hopes that you feel no shame or discomfort with the mentioning of the—ever so taboo—Period, because there’s no shame in gaining acceptance.