When Paige Benn saw girls at her school struggling to access feminine hygiene products, she recognized a need that reached beyond the classroom. Her response now stands at the corner of Roosevelt and Grove streets in the City of Tonawanda: a free pantry where women and girls can get essential supplies.
The 17-year-old Tonawanda City School District senior opened the Sisterhood Supply Pantry on Sept. 18, 2026, as her Girl Scout Gold Award project.
“I was inspired to create the pantry because I had seen girls in my school firsthand experiencing period poverty. I realized how important the issue was to me and knew it was exactly what I wanted to do my Gold Award on,” Benn said.
Benn has been involved in Girl Scouts since she was 5 years old and had dreamed of earning the Gold Award since her first meeting in 2014. Her project would address a need she had witnessed herself, offering help to people who could not afford supplies or get to a store.
To get started, Benn approached city council members and the mayor to seek approval. She then reached out to local organizations and individuals, securing donations that covered the entire cost of the project.
Benn documented 86 hours of work bringing the pantry to life. Within its first few weeks, she was returning to refill it every other day. On drives past the corner, she has seen women stopping to collect supplies.
“It is extremely humbling to see the impact my pantry has already made. I have been able to drive by and see women get the products that they need from the pantry, and it makes me very happy seeing the lasting impact that my pantry will have and has already made on my community,” Benn said.
A lifelong City of Tonawanda resident, Benn has also seen her neighbors take a role in sustaining the project. Donations of products and funds have continued since the pantry opened.
“The support that I received for my project was extremely appreciated because I have grown up in the City of Tonawanda for my entire life, and it was amazing to see my community come together and support my Gold Award, something that I have been dreaming of since my first Girl Scout meeting in 2014,” Benn said.
Community members can contribute by placing donated feminine hygiene products directly in the pantry or arranging donations with Benn.
After high school, Benn plans to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University at Buffalo and hopes to attend its Honors College. She will be honored alongside other Western New York Gold Award recipients in spring 2027.
Earning the award fulfilled a childhood goal. Benn hopes the pantry will also encourage other girls to share their ideas and pursue them.
“I hope that people see the good that can come from one idea in a 17-year-old girl's brain. A lot of times, girls my age are silenced or belittled in a room full of people, but I hope that my project inspires girls like me to speak up instead,” she said.