Can you imagine not having access to fundamental feminine necessities, like period products? I can’t. Many of the 3.5 million Americans who experience homelessness each year have limited access to and few places to turn for period products. So, from the comfort of my very cozy bedroom with convenient access to chocolate, chick flicks, and pain killers, I complain about getting cramps and bloating once a month, while some women forage for sufficient period products to make it through a single cycle. It’s so easily out of sight, out of mind, but as women in communities we (hopefully) care about, it’s time we band together and do something to encourage change.

Inspired by a tweet from future Period Project Captain Holly Sanchez and executed in partnership with DoSomething.org, the U by Kotex Power to the Period drive, which is the first-ever national period donation drive and second installment of the U by Kotex Period Projects, encourages people to buy and donate an extra pack of period products to a homeless shelter. Yep, advocating for the cause is as simple as spending an extra $5 or $10 next time you’re at your neighborhood Target, Walmart, or wherever. Keep reading for more information about where and how to get involved with this wonderful initiative!

Now, on to the important question– how exactly can you get involved with a period donation drive like Power to the Period? Here are a few ways:

1. Start a Power to the Period donation drive of your own or donate new boxes of period products to a drive in your area from Thursday, July 14 through Friday, September 30. You must collect or donate unopened packages of period products (pads, panty liners, etc.), as opposed to individually wrapped items; unopened packages are more hygienic, and it’s important that people see the instructions on the package. Visit UbyKotex.com or DoSomething.org/Period to learn how to get started. You can also text PERIOD for more information on getting involved.

2. U by Kotex® will make product donations on behalf of DoSomething.org contest winners, so sign up for a chance to win a $5,000 scholarship! Why not, right?! Click here for more information.

3. YouTube celebrity Ingrid Nilsen is also passionate about increasing access to period products for the homeless, so she got involved with the Power to the Period donation drive. Find her Power to the Period PSA here and give it a big thumbs up on YouTube.

4. Visit UbyKotex.com to learn more about other Period Projects and to request a U by Kotex® product sample.

5. Join the online conversation on social media with #PeriodProjects. You can also use this hashtag to check out all the progress that the Power to the Period donation drive project has already made. Please also consider favoriting or re-tweeting Holly Sanchez’s original message to help spread the word even more:

Buy an extra box of pads/tampons & donate to a homeless shelter near you. These items are so often overlooked.

— Holly Sanchez (@HSanchezPerry) June 8, 2016

The U by Kotex Power to the Period donation drive is proof that–together, we can change the way we think about, talk about, and support the feminine needs of homeless people in our communities. Can the community count on YOU to help fellow women in need? Oh, and for more inspirational ideas on how to impact your community for the better, I suggest checking out DoSomething.org! In case this is your first time hearing that URL, DoSomething.org is one of the largest global organizations for young people and social change with 5.3 million members in 131 countries who tackle volunteer programs that impact every cause.

What project will you jump into next?

_{Thank you, U by Kotex, for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.}