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This article appears in print in the June 2018 issue. Click here to subscribe.

Admiral Bird Café owner Corina Luckenbach and musician Melanie Granger have put a female necessity, tampons, within easy reach of homeless women.

Through their project, One Million Tampons, launched in February, these friends have collected thousands of tampons and distributed them through partnerships with organizations such as YouthCare and Mary’s Place. 

Luckenbach launched the program after being inspired by Pearl Jam’s announcement that the band would hold two concerts in August and donate at least $1 million to help alleviate homelessness in the Seattle area. With Granger’s band Push4luv, the friends hosted their own concert last February, collecting tampons instead of admission.

They’re continuing their collection drive (drop donations at Admiral Bird, West Seattle, 2600 California Ave.; 206.305.7182) and hope their project will also achieve something else: making conversations about menstruation less taboo. Luckenbach’s message: “Talk about tampons. Buy tampons for someone in your life.”

The two activists are planning shows and events (details on Facebook) occurring every 28-35 days and the entry fee—of course—is tampons.