With accomplishments including the collection of nearly 5,000 period products through a drive its first year, and 10,000 pads and tampons donated and packaged for the Grace and Wisdom Institute just last month, The Pad Project has made it its mission to “ lessen the stigma surrounding menstruation on a community-wide level, and increase the level of access all menstruators have to period products everywhere,” said co-founders Dori Farkas (‘25) and Riley Taylor (‘25). 

The Pad Project is a nonprofit founded with the goal of expanding access to menstrual products through chapters around the globe. Windward’s chapter came to be just three years ago, when Farkas “heard about it through finding their documentary, Period End of Sentence, on Netflix,” sparking her passion for the cause. But Taylor noted that prior to this, she and Farkas had discovered a shared interest in the cause and an awareness of its relevance. She explained, “we had both talked throughout our 9th and early 10th grade years about how the lack of menstrual products around campus was disappointing, and we both agreed that something needed to change.”

In just three years, the club has grown from just five members to over fifty, raised close to 15,000 period products, and worked with two local organizations. Last month’s drive proved to be a massive success, with members gathering together on the bridge for a “packing party,” before delivering the products to the Grace and Wisdom Institute.

The Pad Project’s message remains pressing in Los Angeles and beyond. As Taylor said, “With an ever-increasing unhoused population, menstrual equity is more uncertain than ever.” Access to proper care during one’s period has the potential to make the difference between a healthy individual and one subject to reproductive or urinary tract infections, among other issues. Farkas and Taylor “find this completely unacceptable, and believe that all members of our community should feel implored to help.” 

Beyond their drives, members work to lessen the stigma surrounding menstruation and educate on the importance of access to menstrual products and the prevalence of period poverty, which impacts millions in the United States alone. As she looked toward the future, Farkas detailed her hopes for the continued growth of the club, concluding that “the best way to get involved is to just spread the word about this club and what issues it works to address.” While the organization’s leaders at Windward and beyond believe that there remains immense progress to be made on the front of menstrual equity, it’s clear that Windward’s chapter of the Pad Project has become a major contributor to the movement.