Westbrook mom collects, donates feminine products to Maine girls
By Jamie Azulay
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WESTBROOK, Maine (WMTW) — Kimberly Sullivan is a nurse and a mom who started a project collecting and donating feminine products to girls at Westbrook Middle School. She wants to make sure all girls have what they need to feel confident and comfortable in their changing bodies.
She said, “That one girl could be the next president. You don’t know. She could find a cure for cancer, and if I made a difference in that, then that’s wonderful.” With the help of neighbors and friends who sent money and supplies, she packs a couple of sanitary pads, a few tampons of varying sizes, and a lip balm or a pack of facial tissues in a small zipper pouch.
She was inspired by an experience she had while volunteering in the Falcon’s Nest, a free resource room at the middle school stocked with food, clothing and hygiene products. She recalled the day a preteen girl came in crying after starting her period.
Sullivan said, “She was crying because she had leaked through her underwear and pants, which, if you’re a woman or a girl, it’s happened to you, or it will happen to you at some point. We all know.”
She helped that student find the right supplies and a change of clothes, gave a big hug, and sent her back to class. “It’s a natural thing that’s going to happen,” she said. “We all know it, and it’s healthy. She should just have supplies. It’s no big deal.”
Sullivan also hopes her efforts can lead to education and conversations about what women go through. She talked with her son about menstruation and hopes other adults can have similar conversations with the boys and men in their lives.
She said, “I’ve told him, ‘Don’t ever make fun of a girl. Don’t ever tease a girl because of it.'” To start a conversation like this, Sullivan suggests being honest and using biological terms. She hopes doing so will help to eliminate bullying and increase care and compassion.
“The world out there is kind of awful right now, but there are points where it can be happy,” Sullivan said. “It can be kind. There are people that will help you, and this, being a woman, is how you get through it — together.”
Sullivan would like to keep her project going for years to come. Donations to support her can be dropped off at Westbrook Middle School.
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