Yorktown HS Sophomore Helps Fight Period Poverty

YORKTOWN, NY — Yorktown High School sophomore Annabelle Newberger was looking for a project that would help people in the community. She found one: women who can't afford feminine hygiene products or "period poverty."

The 15-year-old came up with the idea of a period products donation drive to supply shelters or food banks who have clients who are in need of such items.

Newberger said at Yorktown High School a lot of students were involved in charitable activities.

"But I didn't see anything like period products," she told Patch.

The teen did her homework and contacted a shelter — Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill — that confirmed the need for 12 of its clients.

After speaking with other shelters, Newberger was connected with Alliance for Period Supply, a national organization whose mission is to make sure women have the basic necessities they require — so they don't have to miss school, work or daily life.

The nonprofit, which said 1 in 4 women within the past year have struggled to buy period supplies because of lack of income, lobbies elected officials to enact laws to eliminate taxes on tampons and other supplies and works to raise awareness on the issue. New York eliminated the tax on period supplies in 2016, according to the alliance.

The high school sophomore put together a PowerPoint presentation about her proposed initiative and emailed the school's administrative team asking for support.

Assistant Principal Cristina Criscione-McCombs told Patch that Newberger had confirmed with the Peekskill shelter their need for feminine products and that she would take care of getting all the donated items to the shelter.

Criscione-McCombs said she was "thoroughly impressed" by the sophomore's email and she invited the student to come to her office to discuss it further.

With the high school principal's approval, she worked with Newberger in minor ways to help, including allowing a donation box to be set up at the school.

"But she really took the reins," Criscione-McCombs said," not needing much support or guidance."

While the school donation box didn't yield much, Newberger set up an Amazon wish list, where the public can purchase feminine products and have them shipped directly to her.

To date, the high schooler has received more than $2,500 worth of products.

She is now in the process of opening the packages, taking inventory and deciding how best to distribute them.

Newberger said she is still looking for other shelters or food banks who would be interested in helping women with this very personal, but necessary product.

"As a woman," she said, "it really surprised me how expensive these items can be, and the fact that women have to spend so much money on them."

Criscione-McCombs said it was amazing to work with a student like Newberger, "who sees a problem in the world around them and tries to make a difference."

The assistant principal said it takes an intense amount of maturity and fortitude to understand the impact one can have on the community.

"It was so refreshing to see Annabelle's passion for philanthropy at 15 years old," Criscione-McCombs said, "and I was more than happy to help support her."

Newberger said it was important for her to get information about the need for period products by starting the conversation.

"Women shouldn't be stigmatized by it," she said.