There are lots of Halloween events coming up in KELOLAND, but one of them could help girls be more comfortable at school.
Forget candy.
A Sioux Falls church is hoping to make a different kind of haul this season.
On Saturday, the Spirit of Peace United Church of Christ will be hosting a trunk or treat event, complete with sweets, decorations and more.
Here’s where you can help.
“The suggested admission is a box of feminine hygiene products or a cash donation,” Christian Education Director LeAnna Minister said.
Christian Education Director LeAnn Minister says this is the third year the church will hold such a drive.
Last year’s event yielded more than two large carloads of items and more than $500 in monetary donations.
The items are being collected for girls in rural and tribal communities, in hopes they’ll never have to miss any school due to a lack of feminine hygiene products.
Donis Drappeau is the Diversity Pipeline Coordinator at the USD Sanford School of Medicine.
Through her work, she’s become familiar with the need for these items in rural areas.
She says girls don’t always have close access to stores that sell feminine hygiene products.
“And if they do, prices can be high, can be expensive. A lot of them will utilize other ways to get them through when they have their menses and stuff,” Diversity Pipeline Coordinator Donis Drappeau said.
Minister says a stigma still surrounds the topic, but opening the lines of communication is worth it.
“Having girls in school is much more important than not talking about something,” Minister said.
That’s why Saturday’s haul will be even sweeter than candy.
The event is Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. at Spirit of Peace on Cliff Avenue.
If you can’t make it, you also drop off your donations at the church this week and next week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.