NONPROFIT
A San Marcos mother is tackling hygiene poverty head-on with the Feeling Fresh Project — a growing effort to keep local students clean, confident and in class.
The nonprofit was founded by Paige Biersdorfer, with the help of Vice President Brittany Swain and Treasurer Deana Markwardt, and ensures students have the hygiene products needed to promote health, dignity and well-being, removing hygiene-related barriers and allowing them to focus on getting an education.
“You don’t always think of soap and how it affects our lives, but if you don’t have it, you may miss school. If you don’t have period products, you’re going to miss school or work. If you’re not able to have clean clothes, it has an effect on your life,” Biersdorfer said. “I don’t think everyone stops to think about that.”
Biersdorfer’s daughter had a teacher at Hernandez Elementary that had a wish list for students, and she noticed that a lot of the items included hygiene products. The teacher told her that the need had outgrown what the teachers could purchase for the students, so Biersdorfer held her first hygiene drive. She did some research and learned about hygiene poverty — the inability to afford products like soap, detergents, dental care products, tampons, among others — is very common and isn’t covered under many assistance programs such as the Food Bank or SNAP benefits.
Biersdorfer found a nonprofit in Frisco called Refresh North Texas, which provides hygiene supplies and has been doing so for around six years. They allowed her to tour the facility, and the trip inspired her to try her own hand at it and “see how it goes.”
Currently, the Feeling Fresh Project has a supply closet in Mendez Elementary and has plans to grow. They plan to be in two to three San Marcos CISD schools by the next 2025-26 year and then add schools annually until each campus in the district has a hygiene supply closet. Biersdorfer recently met with Bonham Prekindergarten School to try to get a closet going there as well.
The hygiene closet at Mendez is already making a difference in students’ and parents’ lives. One child got to choose a native deodorant and was excited about his new name-brand product, and a family that was new to the school was offered products, which caused the mother to be overwhelmed with emotion.
“It’s just a reminder of things that we may take for granted just can have such a positive impact on someone else’s day,” Biersdorfer said.
If one is interested in helping, there are several ways to do so.
Biersdorfer can drop off a bucket at one’s church, organization or workplace to keep for a month and gather donations to be picked up later.
“If different organizations need volunteer hours, that’s a great way to help,” she said.
There are links on the website at thefeelingfreshproject.com to make a financial contribution or purchase items from an Amazon or Target wish list. There are also donation buckets at Texas Health and Racquet Club, 109 E. McCarty Lane, or the San Market, 114 E. San Antonio St.
For those wishing to drop off donations in person or wanting to work with the Feeling Fresh Project, contact Biersdorfer at [email protected].
