(WHTM) — Lisa Wood and Angel Mwaniki started their senior year at Central Dauphin High School by starting a new club.

Wanting a place where classmates could “be themselves” they formed the Women’s Empowerment Group.

“It was just another safe space for all the girls at the school,” Wood said.

“We talked about the dress code, we talked about how women feel in the classrooms,” Mwaniki said. “How women feel growing up in Central Dauphin.”

That safe space turned into a mission when they realized that many of their classmates were having trouble accessing menstrual products.

The girls held a bake sale and raised hundreds of dollars for period kits, to be left in each and every classroom in the upcoming school year.

“Pads, tampons, maybe a little travel-sized deodorant…basic needs women can’t get,” Wood explained.

“Times are tough,” said the group’s faculty advisor Kristin Bell. “Kids are maybe in families that are struggling financially and they may not be able to afford these supplies and they might be too embarrassed to ask a male parent for them.”

Bell says she’s seen the need firsthand after offering the supplies in her classroom.

“There’s absolutely a need,” Bell said. “We have girls pop into our classroom at least twice a week for the entire school year.”

Many times, it’s out of necessity and convenience.

“If girls have to go the whole way to the nurse, the building is really big,” Bell explained. “Girls could be missing 10 minutes of class by the time they go to the nurse and get the supplies that they need.”

It’s legacy of empowerment for Wood and Mwaniki that will continue even after they have moved on.

“We just want to make sure it’s available here, even when we leave,” Mwaniki said.

“I think it’s definitely us leaving our mark on the school and I’m glad we started it this year,” Wood said.

Wood and Mwaniki will officially graduate from Central Dauphin Wednesday evening.

If you’d like to donate supplies or funds to the period kit initiative, you can contact Bell at kbell@cdschools.org.