Emergency Contraception for Columbia, Missouri (EC4Como) is a student-led volunteer group that passes out sexual health items on the University of Missouri campus. Although this is only their second year as a group, they have seen major growth within their organization.
“So far this semester, (we’ve passed out) at least about five, six hundred (packs of Plan B),” EC4Como President Mary-Alice Rice said. “So, you know, just continuing to get that number up as high as possible, and just get it to anybody who needs it really.”
The group started in August 2023 under the Columbia chapter founder Sarah Peters. Since its beginning they have seen an increase in volunteers and community outreach.
“Me, Mary Alice, and Sarah Peters were really the only people who orchestrated the giveaways, but we’ve grown so much just in this past semester from the year that I have been involved,” EC4Como volunteer Eden Chaban said.
Along with providing emergency contraception to students on campus, the group offers student organizations a chance to get involved in community service. Members say the amount of volunteers has played a large part in their outreach on campus.
“I love talking to people, so I will go up to anybody who even seems remotely interested and ask them if they want to join,” Rice said. “I also spread the word in a lot of the different GroupMes I’m in.”
The group is able to give out free resources to students by working with various nonprofits to obtain emergency contraception, condoms and other materials at no cost. These partnerships allow EC4Como to supply students with as many resources as possible.
As EC4Como continues to grow, volunteers say they hope the group becomes a normalized and reliable part of campus life so that no student feels alone or unprepared in a moment of need.
“I think one of the big misconceptions about EC is that we’re providing sex education or making a statement on, you know, behalf of like the student body, which is absolutely not what EC is about,” Chaban said. “It’s just about spreading awareness and being people on campus that can help students feel more prepared.”
