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Flour Bluff students help women less fortunate

Posted at 1:12 PM, Dec 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-12 18:39:22-05

Not having enough access to feminine care products can be a big problem for woman who are less fortunate.

However, a charity group is working to provide those kinds of products to women in the Coastal Bend who may not be able to afford them.

The effort began in 2017, when sisters Agnes and Helena Garcia noticed not every woman was able to afford feminine care products.

“A lot of my friends, they couldn’t get it so they would ask me for it,” Helena Garcia said.

The Garcias, who are students at Flour Bluff Junior High School, say many of their friends were too embarrassed to ask for help.

“Some girls are too scared to speak,” Agnes Garcia said. “And I feel really bad for them.”

Now, the twin girls are 13 years old. The eighth-graders may be young, but they’re in charge of running the Homeless Period Project in Corpus Christi. The project is a nationwide effort with a local impact.

“It’s one of the biggest problems honestly,” Helena said. “Because there’s a lot of kids that can’t get the products.”

The sisters help women by placing donation boxes at businesses throughout the city. Every week, all donated products are collected. Then the girls host period packing parties, where all the products are packed in a bag. Those bags are then handed out to whoever needs them, including women at nearby Title 1 schools, shelters or churches.

“It shouldn’t be a taboo subject,” Agnes said. “No one should be embarrassed because of it.”

Together, the two have packed nearly 3,000 bags to help women in the Coastal Bend.

“I’m helping people, like I want to help them out,” Agnes said. “I want them to feel happy.”​

The Garcia sisters are asking for donations like tampons, pads and more. For more information on how to volunteer or donate, visit their Twitter or Facebook page, or call 361-774-5271.