The Superior .project provided a total of 400 small bags filled with feminine hygiene products to area schools during the 2019-2020 school year. All six Superior elementary schools as well as Maranatha Academy and Cathedral schools received a share of the colorful bags.
Launched by Great Lakes Elementary School parent Sara Schubert McKone, the project was aimed at providing privacy and comfort to female students during what could be a difficult time. Each bag contains a sandwich-size zipper top bag, a paper bag, two pads, two pantyliners, one tampon and a hygiene wipe.
Principals and school nurses said they appreciated the grassroots project. Members of the community stepped up to donate makeup bags and products to go inside them. This fall, the project is being embraced by local businesses.
A trio of Superior shops have volunteered to be drop-off sites for Superior .project: Angie’s Closet at 1315 Tower Ave., Nummi Jewelers at 1120 Belknap St. and Shamrock Bar and Pizza, 5825 Tower Ave. The bins were set out this week.
Katie Perrault, manager of Nummi Jewelers, has known about Superior .project since it launched last year.
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"I think it’s fantastic,” Perrault said. “I think it will give young girls the confidence and the little bit of love that they need when things go awry.”
Angie Kiminski, owner of Angie’s Closet LLC, said she heard about the project on Facebook and offered to help out, both by spreading the word and providing a drop-off site for needed items.
“This project is so important to support the young women in our area,” Kiminski said. “Some of the girls in our community don’t have a mother figure in their lives to prepare them for this time. The bags Sara puts together and made available to them hopefully makes for a smooth transition.”
To restock supplies and provide 25 new bags to each of the schools, the Superior .project needs 200 filled bags. Schubert McKone said she currently has 110 ready to go. Needed items include brown paper lunch bags, zipper top sandwich bags, clean makeup or small zip-top bags, and individually-wrapped feminine hygiene wipes, regular size pads, light or regular size tampons and pantyliners. The most needed items are the individually-wrapped pads, tampons and pantyliners, Schubert McKone said.
Businesses will have the bins up for a limited time. Perrault said Nummi will take donations for the next two weeks during regular store hours, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. People can check the Angie’s Closet and Shamrock website for more information on that drop-off bin. Visit the Superior .project Facebook page for more information about the initiative.
This story was updated at 8:10 a.m. Oct. 5 with the website for Shamrock Pizza. The initial version was posted at 6 a.m. Sept. 24.
