The Satanic Temple of Illinois gets people what they need, period. This is a mission that they take literally with their yearly “Menstruatin’ With Satan” campaign. They gather boxes of tampons, menstrual pads and other hygiene products to donate to the Pilsen Food Pantry and the Phoenix Center in Springfield.
“I mean, it’s a true labor of love on their part, it’s not just a token donation,” said Steve Wiley, Pilsen Food Pantry manager. “It’s a really great thing they do.”
With members worldwide, the Satanic Temple (TST) is a federally recognized nontheistic religious organization whose goals are to promote empathy and kindness, oppose oppressive power and support a realistic, commonsense approach to justice. Their website says most members reject the idea that Satan is a real god or entity.
The Pilsen Food Pantry has worked with TST for three years. Wiley says the donations from their campaigns typically last five to six months while serving the demands of their clients.
The pantry was operating out of a church when the temple first reached out. They worked under “the watchful eyes” of the archdiocese who already had some issues with their stay, Wiley said. At first, the pantry was worried about being too closely associated with the Satanic Temple. But once they heard the name “Menstruatin’ With Satan,” they were hooked. Shortly after, they gave TST permission to put their logo and name on the flyers.
This year, the campaign has 13 participating locations across the city and Chicago area, mostly with businesses that align with the mission and “aesthetic” of the temple. Horror cafes and oddity shops are just a few of the locations taking donations in the city.
Graveface Museum in Wicker Park has been partnering with the campaign since their location opened in 2022. The museum centers on the personal side of dark history rather than capitalizing on shock factor, focusing on topics like serial killers, sideshow history and more. They also teach about the occult, including satanism, often dispelling misinformation surrounding it.
Chloë Manon, who owns the museum, thinks that the Satanic Temple coincides well with the museum especially regarding their emphasis on debunking misconceptions.
“The name implies Satan and some people have a preconceived notion about what that means,” Manon said. “But it’s a completely atheistic, basically a political activist group.”
“It’s mostly just using the name and kind of the semiology of it, with counter culture and rebellion and acceptance for who you are as opposed to who you’re ‘supposed’ to be.”
Some of the people that believe these misconceptions have pushed back on businesses for working with the Satanic Temple. The Brewed, an Avondale coffeeshop, is an example of that.
The coffeeshop has a horror theme with a 60s and 70s aesthetic. They serve as another donation drop-off site. The cafe has anything a horror lover is looking for, from a giant Beetlejuice sandworm emerging from their ceiling to a collection of vintage scary movie figurines, making it another great fit for the temple.
In addition to working with them on the campaign, the shop hosted TST for their “Meet a Satanist” event in April. The event attracted a group of protesters outside the shop holding signs and blocking parking spaces.
Despite the misconceptions from people, Jason Deuchler, an owner of The Brewed, loves working with TST on the campaign.
“People who need the stuff we collect, they get it,” Deuchler said. “They can actually collect a lot of product, so it’s awesome.”
Outside Chicago, there are satanic bakeries in Springfield and bookstores in Peoria also showing their commitment to the cause.
Nicole Ballard runs the donation campaign for The Satanic Temple (TST) in Illinois, but also serves as the co-director of the Satanic Good Works Campaign. Her role is to assist TST congregations globally in organizing “good works” projects for their communities, such as this one.
“We just want to help people get what they need,” Ballard said. “Whether it’s through us or just in general.”
The campaign runs through Oct. 19, but many locations are open to taking donations past that date. Stop in with your donations or check out the campaign’s Amazon wishlist to contribute.
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