When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. And for the staff at Ruth Meiers, the same applies when it comes to feminine hygiene products.

Last spring, they received a truck and trailer filled with feminine hygiene products and have been brainstorming ways to share the products with those who need them.

“We filled Little Free Pantries around town throughout the summer and have been taking boxes of supplies to some of our partners, including Abused Adult Resource Center, Youthworks, Community Action, and Welcome House,” says Peggy Netzer, Director of Client Services and Community Outreach for Ruth Meiers.

But still, there were boxes and boxes left. That’s when the staff got creative.

“We wanted to come up with a way to give back to the community. This community does so much for Ruth Meiers,” says Peggy. “We decided to fill makeup bags with feminine hygiene products and give them to girls in elementary, middle, and high schools throughout Bismarck.”

A staff member posted a request for makeup bags on Facebook. The donations came rolling in—99 in all. They’re now filled and will soon be delivered to schools. Meantime, they’re still collecting bags and hope to fill another 99, or more, soon.

“Feminine hygiene products are kind of expensive, especially for women on a tight budget. You can’t use your SNAP benefits to purchase them, so often we see women having to decide between buying a box of tampons or buying food for their children. We are trying to help out so they don’t have to make a choice like that.”

If you’d like to donate, you can drop off small makeup bags at Ruth Meiers at 1100 East Boulevard Avenue in Bismarck.