A Potholder!
It all started with a potholder! That’s what Liz Hillger says when she tells people about The MoonCatcher Project.
Liz was getting together with some friends in Berwick, Maine last Summer. On each woman’s bed there was a goodie bag with one of my sister Gussie’s handmade potholders inside. Each potholder has a tag that says, “change the life of a girl” This potholder = the cost of one MoonCatcher menstrual kit that helps keep a girl in school.
Liz was intrigued and when the group went to Gussie’s Coffee roasting business (Carpe Diem) she wanted to know more. Not only did she ask lots of questions but later she went to our website to learn more about what we do.
I got a phone call soon after that asking if we would do a MoonBee on Nantucket. I’ve never been to Nantucket, and it seemed like it would be fun to introduce people there to The MoonCatcher Project (MCP), so I said YES! My friend and MCP volunteer Colleen agreed to help so a few weeks ago we boarded the ferry in Hyannis and were island bound.
Our first stop was The New School where a group of middle school students met us to listen to stories about girls throughout the world who have no access to menstrual supplies. These kids asked us more questions than many adult groups ask, and they helped cut Tyvek and string cording through drawstring bags too.
One young girl came up to me quietly and told me how thankful she was to have learned about this issue and later she brought us a handful of change and bills saying, “I know it’s not much but you said any amount could make a difference.” That choked me up and when she appeared again the next day at our “adult” MoonBee with her mother in tow I was truly overwhelmed.
The Nantucket Atheneum is the island’s public library and community gathering space. We set up our MoonBee in two rooms downstairs and spent the afternoon getting our steps in as we raced back and forth from one room to the other answering questions and moving parts as we assembled menstrual kits.
We showed everyone the completed kit with carrier and pads, and as had happened the day before, a young girl agreed to model it for the group. It helps for people to see how it actually works and watching our video gives everyone a sense of the places we serve. We are so thankful to the people who showed up to sew on labels, trace and cut Tyvek, string cording, cut fleece, assemble completed kits and on and on. All of you help break down the barriers that menstruation can create for young girls. You help create an environment where they can thrive without fear or shame. We are so grateful.
Liz and her pals Sandy and Claire treated us like old friends. They made wonderful meals for us, showed us around the island and played our tile game, Rummykub. We talked and laughed and marched together at a candlelit vigil in the center of town, singing and walking for peace in the world.
Colleen said it best as we bid farewell to Liz…”until we met you we didn’t know we missed you.” Thank you Liz for making this happen.
NEWS FROM AFRICA
Schools in Malawi and Uganda were closed for most of January, so no visits occurred. The cooperatives there were busy making kits for delivery next month when schools reopen - 750 kits in Uganda, and 550 in Malawi.
In Kenya our coordinators, Jacky Okoth and Bella Okoth were busier than usual. In addition to producing another 400 new Kits, they visited 5 schools, providing MoonCatcher Kits and our reproductive health curriculum to 906 girls.
Whenever our team visits a school, we ask them to send us a brief report on the number of girls (and boys as applicable) served, along with photos of the instruction, the sign outside the school and the students with their new kits. They also enter this data into a google form to help us track our work.
PERIOD PANTRIES
Our local period pantry project continues to grow. We helped to establish two new pantries - one at Oneida Middle School in Schenectady, and another to be opened soon at the Newtonville United Methodist Church in Latham. Both pantries will be maintained and stocked by the host locations. In 2026 we are planning to establish more new pantries with the help of the Soroptimists of Schenectady.
In the last quarter of 2025 (October- December) we gave out over 17,000 period products through our period pantries. This project needs to grow and continue to fight period poverty in our region. No one should have to miss school or work because they cannot afford menstrual products.
We continue to be amazed by the generosity of our donors and volunteers. So many of you make this work possible. Thanks you all for being on our team. And please stay warm!