The student-run club Gxrl Up began its period product drive this month in order to gather support and resources for women and girls. There are always women and girls in need, and Gxrl Up at San Leandro High is dedicated to helping women in the San Leandro community.

“Gxrl up is a club that uplifts girls to lead and use their voices to advocate for gender equality,” said junior club member Olive Washburn. “We aim to create a platform where students can make meaningful change.”

The period product drive is Gxrl Up’s effort to provide feminine hygiene products specifically for those in need throughout the month of December.

“The goal of the drive is to reduce period poverty, allowing women in need to be healthy regarding their periods,” said Gxrl Up event coordinator Maia Halili. “The drive began December 1st and will end December 18th.”

In addition to reducing period poverty, the drive gives students the opportunity to participate in uplifting those in their community by making donating simple and easy.

“You can donate to our go fund me on the Gxrl Up Instagram, or donate unopened boxes [or] bags of period products to participating teachers such as Ms. Smart, Dr. Lopez, Mr. Nichols and more,” said Halili.

Gxrl Up has been doing the period product drive annually for several years, and its past success has allowed them to continue the drive.

“The previous drives have been very successful, last year we collected over 10,000 period products to donate,” said Halili.

Ultimately, Gxrl Up’s feminine hygiene product drive is one of many programs that they have geared towards helping women in need.

“One of our main goals is to get the community involved, whether it’s encouraging students to join our advocacy or supporting other communities in need,” said Washburn. “We will have many more programs dedicated to the community.”