In an effort to make feminine health products more accessible, the U of A Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation is partnering with Magdalene Serenity House for a menstural product drive during the first two weeks of March.

There will be a donation station set up inside the lobby at the Brewer Family Entrepreneurship Hub, located at 123 W. Mountain St. in downtown Fayetteville. Another location will be set up inside room 108 in the J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. Center for Academic Excellence on the corner of Dickson and Harmon.

All products will be accepted, and tampons of all sizes are preferred.

This drive will coincide with the beginning of Women's History Month and will help raise awareness about "period poverty." The term references the struggle of purchasing period supplies due to a lack of income, according to the Alliance for Period Supplies, an advocacy group that supports the development and expansion of period supply programs across the United States.

According to data from the alliance, one in four U.S. teens has missed class because they couldn't access period supplies. Moreover, one in four women struggle to purchase period products. In Arkansas, two in nine women and girls aged 12 to 44 live below the federal poverty line.

Magdalene Serenity House helps women who have experienced trauma, sexual exploitation, addiction and incarceration rebuild their lives, according to its website. The program lasts two years and offers safe housing and support at no cost. 

About the U of A Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation: The Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation creates and curates innovation and entrepreneurship experiences for students across all disciplines. Through the Brewer Family Entrepreneurship Hub, McMillon Innovation Studio, Startup Village, and Greenhouse at the Bentonville Collaborative, OEI provides free workshops and programs — including social and corporate innovation design teams, venture internships, competitions and startup coaching. A unit of the Sam M. Walton College of Business and Division of Economic Development, OEI also offers on-demand support for students who will be innovators within existing organizations and entrepreneurs who start something new