The bus outside Hillside Centre filled with feminine hygiene products
The United Way of Greater Victoria is expecting to have raised over double the menstrual products from their Period Promise event last year.
On Saturday at the Hillside Centre the group worked to fill a B.C. Transit bus with pads, tampons and other period products to help local youth and women in need.
They expect to have raised around 60,000 items.
“Periods are a fact of life and we don’t want to talk about it,” said United Way of Greater Victoria’s Jennifer Young.
“children are missing school cause kids don’t have access to menstrual products… It’s a serious issue, and there is a movement to see this as a different dimension of poverty.”
The organization says nearly one in seven Canadian girls have missed school due to a lack of period protection, and almost one-quarter of Canadian women say they have struggled to afford menstrual products for themselves or their children.
Products collected will be distributed to United Way funded agencies the following week as a lead up to International Women’s Day, from Sidney to Sooke.
“I think we are going with the flow with awareness around period poverty [in soceity]… we saw at the academy awards with the documentary about periods in India, and now the school board in New Westminster.”
The school board in the Metro Vancouver area voted to provide free pads and tampons in their schools as a result of working together with United Way of the Lower Mainland.
The collection drive was supported by the United Way Greater Victoria Labour Committee, B.C. Transit, Hillside Centre, the Victoria Labour Council and United Way Greater Victoria.
“We want to thank everyone for their support, and for getting behind this important issue,” she added.
The organization says those looking to access feminine hygiene products should go to their local social service provider, community centre or women’s shelter.
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