Imagine if your family had to choose between buying food and buying feminine hygiene products – it’s easy to see what necessity wins out. Many such young women live right here in our neighborhoods. These young women stuff their underwear with paper towels and toilet paper or other things that may not be healthy for them.

For the fifth year in a row, Ombu Salon + Spa is hosting a Days for Girls feminine product drive through the end of the year. All are welcome to contribute – whether you are stopping in the salon in for an appointment to look and feel your best, or just delivering your donation of what many women consider to be a monthly necessity: disposable feminine hygiene products.

“This year has been a particularly hard one for a lot of people,” says Ombu Salon + Spa owner, Beth Sanger. “Food drives and toys drives are necessary, but this is a real need that often gets overlooked. We collect more and more feminine hygiene products every year.”

The local chapter of Days for Girls, headed by April Haberman, collects and distributes disposable feminine hygiene products to homeless women and girls in the greater Edmonds area. Haberman’s involvement with the project started with her desire to help out homeless girls of menstruating age in the school district who would don’t have adequate access to feminine hygiene, but has since expanded her product drives to help out more homeless women and girls.

” This year there are even more women and girls who have to make the tough choice on how to spend their limited income, and feminine hygiene products often fall by the wayside,” Haberman said.

Ombu Salon + Spa will also happily collect monetary donations (checks can be made payable to Days for Girls of Edmonds, Washington). Donations are also accepted online at  www.daysforgirls.org. Be sure to mention the Edmonds WA Chapter to make sure your donation is earmarked to be used locally.

Ombú Salon + Spa is located at 121 3rd Ave. N. in downtown Edmonds. Call for an appointment at 425-778-6322.