The Monthlies Project has officially distributed 1 million period products across Northeast Wisconsin.
What began as a small, volunteer-led effort in 2021 to meet an overlooked need has transformed into a movement for menstrual equity with students, schools, and entire communities rallying to stop period poverty.
“This milestone isn’t just about the number. It’s about the thousands of students who didn’t have to leave school, who didn’t have to feel ashamed, and who knew that someone in their community cared,” said Liz Wollenberg, co-founder of The Monthlies Project and chief systems and strategy officer at Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin. “This is what grassroots change looks like — local, urgent, and deeply human.”
Founded and fueled entirely by volunteers, The Monthlies Project was born from a simple, urgent truth: students were missing school because they didn’t have access to period products. In the years since, the project has grown into a regional force, working in direct partnership with schools and youth-serving community organizations to provide free period supplies, educate communities, and advocate for systemic policy change.
While volunteer run, Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin operates as the logistics partner (managing procurement, storage and distribution of the products), and the Women’s Fund of the Fox Valley Region acts as the fiscal and granting agent via The Monthlies Fund. Local organizations and businesses provide grant support, which enables The Monthlies Project to purchase period products at cost.
The Monthlies Project also works on policy-level change and advocacy by working with leaders across Wisconsin — and the nation, alongside organizations like Period Law — to recognize menstrual equity as a basic educational and health right.
The week of May 19, The Monthlies Project distributed 2,000 summer kits across Northeast Wisconsin to 48 schools and organizations serving school aged menstruators across 11 districts. Each drawstring bag includes one package of liners, pads, tampons, and a note of encouragement.
