If you’re looking for a way to make a notable difference in your community, we’ve got something for you!
United Way Southern Vancouver Island (UWSVI) invites everyone to join them in the fight to end period poverty with the launch of their Period Promise campaign.
They’re goal is to increase access to free menstrual products for those who menstruate—eradicating cost barriers and making our community better for everyone.
To participate, the public is encouraged to visit the UWSVI at Save-on-Foods (Saanich location) on Saturday, May 25th between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. with products to donate. This includes tampons, pads, other menstrual products and/or cash donations.
Adequately named ‘Fill the Bus’, they’re hoping to fill an entire BC Transit bus full of products!
Additionally, a BC-based maker of period pain relief products, Somedays, will be onsite with a period pain simulator that people are welcome to try.
“Shouldn’t society consider tampons, pads, or liners as essential as toilet paper?” said Erika Stenson, UWSVI Executive Director.
“Period poverty, which is what we call the lack of access to menstrual products, is more than an inconvenience—it is isolating and can stop people from reaching their full potential.”
According to United Way’s data, 50% of people who menstruate will struggle with access to products at some point in their lives.
This could mean missing out on opportunities that would otherwise be accessible and available to them, putting them at an unfair disadvantage that limits overall quality of life and health.
If you would like to help with this campaign but can’t donate products, you can leave a donation here.
From 2017 to 2022, the Period Promise campaign has managed to get more than 1.5 million menstrual products into communities across BC, including Southern Vancouver Island.
It has also inspired organizations to adopt a policy to provide menstrual products in their facilities, while de-stigmatizing menstruation and raising awareness of period poverty.
