Largest Drive To Date For Diaper Bank Of North Carolina’s Period Power Project
NEWS RELEASE
April 29, 2026
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® Mid-Atlantic Region Conducts Largest Drive To Date For Diaper Bank Of North Carolina’s Period Power Project
Organization Donates More Than 210,000 Items For Community Service Project During 73rd Regional Conference Held in March in Raleigh
RALEIGH, N.C.— Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® – the oldest service organization founded by college-educated African American women in 1908– Mid-Atlantic Region announced that members collected a record number of donations supporting the Diaper Bank of North Carolina’s Period Power Project and the sorority’s “We Are Legendary Period!” community outreach initiative. The initiative was part of the Region’s 73rd Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, held in Raleigh on March 19-22, 2026.
According to the Diaper Bank of North Carolina, Alpha Kappa Alpha conducted the largest drive for the organization’s Period Power Project to date, by providing 210,172 items. This total includes menstrual hygiene items, such as 68,442 pads, 47,319 tampons, 19,501 hygiene supplies and 8,468 adult supplies, as well as 64,832 liners, 348 clothing items. Members also provide 1,148 baby supplies and 114 other hygiene items to support the Diaper Bank of North Carolina.
“This was an extraordinary act of community leadership. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® has set a powerful example of what it looks like to show up with purpose and compassion,” said Michelle Schaefer, CEO and Founder of the Diaper Bank of North Carolina. “This is one of the most impactful Period Power drives we have seen, and it will directly help ensure that individuals across North Carolina have access to the basic essentials they need to live with dignity. We are deeply grateful for their partnership and commitment to this work.”
The Diaper Bank of North Carolina is addressing period poverty in North Carolina through its Period Power initiative. The project supplies over 1,000 public schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels with pads, tampons, black leggings and underwear so that young menstruating individuals can focus on their learning instead of their basic hygiene.
“Alpha Kappa Alpha women continue to demonstrate extraordinary generosity, and our overwhelming support of the Diaper Bank’s Period Power Project reflects the very essence of who we are,” said Nadine Vargas Stewart, Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. “Ensuring that individuals have access to essential menstrual care is deeply connected to our mission of service to all mankind, and our members showed up with purpose and compassion. We are profoundly grateful to the Diaper Bank of North Carolina for partnering with us on this critical initiative and for their unwavering commitment to preserving dignity for those they serve,” said Vargas Stewart.
About Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® and the Mid-Atlantic Region
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® (AKA) an international service organization, was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908. It is the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African American college-educated women. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated® is comprised of more than 390,000 initiated members in more than 1,115 graduate and undergraduate chapters located in 15 nations and territories including the United States, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Japan, Liberia, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, South Korea, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and West Africa. Led by International President & CEO Danette Anthony Reed of Dallas, Texas, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, often is hailed as “America’s premier Greek-letter organization for African American women.” The Mid-Atlantic Region, led by Nadine Vargas Stewart, includes 141 chapters and more than 15,000 members who live and serve throughout North Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia.