“Sophomore Abbie Macleod, who is on the Drives committee, said, “I think that this drive is important because it will be making an immediate impact in our own community within M-A, yet it will also be making an impact in our larger community in Redwood City. Hygiene should be considered a basic human right, and by stripping people of that right, we are stripping them of their dignity.” 

Senior Luka Perazich, who is also on the committee, said, “I am super interested about the opinion piece about menstrual products across campus.” He continued, “This drive is important because there are tons of women and others in the LGBTQ+ community on campus who are not being provided for their basic needs.” 

After having members of the committee check whether or not the M-A bathrooms are being stocked with menstrual products, Perazich said, “The conditions are dismal for a school that is as well-off as M-A, and I wanted to do something about it.”

He added, “On top of that, we usually raise hygiene products during the Canned Food Drive as a part of the bags we distribute, and just didn’t get that many or advertise it this year, so I thought this would be a great way to catch up on what we didn’t get done.”

The drive has also partnered with Simply the Basics to help collect infant diapers, baby wipes, and travel-size tissues. Macleod explained, “These will be sent to a Redwood City receiving site, where survivors of domestic violence and trafficking are provided with their legal needs free of charge, and by providing these needed supplies, this organization will be able to ‘Serve their clients by meeting their most basic needs with dignity,’ according to Simply the Basics. By providing these resources, clients will be able to focus on finding safe and stable housing instead of worrying about their hygiene.”