During the month of December, Nurturing Health Naturopathic Clinic and Nourish Boutique Spa hosted the largest Period Promise Holiday Collection Campaign yet, collecting over 10,000 menstrual hygiene products to help end period poverty in Northumberland County.
From December 1 to 31, Northumberland County residents were invited to participate in the holiday collection campaign by making a financial donation or dropping off menstrual hygiene products. An overwhelming 3,215 pads, 5,175 tampons, and 2,162 other basic hygiene products were collected.
“We are seeing more engagement than ever in our Period Promise initiative, which tells us that the residents of Northumberland County care deeply about ending period poverty,” says Bobbie Dawson, CEO, Northumberland United Way. “We have joined forces with our partners to normalize the conversation and raise awareness around this important issue. We are so grateful for the generosity of the people in our community.”
Periods are a fact of life and so is the need for menstrual products. Almost one-quarter of Canadian women say they have struggled to afford menstrual products for themselves or their children (Plan International, Period Stigma Report, 2018). All products collected during the holiday collection campaign will be redistributed to individuals and local organizations in the community, while financial donations will be used to purchase additional products.
“The community’s response to Period Promise Northumberland is truly amazing,” says Nicole Beatty, Project Coordinator, Thrive Northumberland. “Product donations are distributed to our Coalition agencies who support women, children and non-binary people experiencing or fleeing violence, assault, human trafficking and other forms of abuse. Collectively, we are removing barriers and ending stigma for people who menstruate.”
The Period Promise campaign, a local partnership of Northumberland United Way and Thrive Northumberland, aims to address the issue of period poverty in the community while advocating for social change. Since its launch in 2020, nearly 12,000 menstrual hygiene products have been distributed to individuals, families, and non-profit organizations locally.
Are you a local non-profit organization in need of menstrual hygiene products to support your clients? Contact Maggie Darling at mdarling@nuw.unitedway.ca to place your order. To learn more about Period Promise Northumberland, visit www.periodpromisenorthumberland.ca.
Mark your calendars! Menstrual Hygiene Day is coming May 28, 2022. Menstrual Hygiene Day was officially proclaimed by Northumberland County, the Township of Alnwick/Haldimand, Municipality of Brighton, Hamilton Township, and the Municipality of Port Hope in 2021 as a global day of action to end period poverty and stigma around periods. To learn more about Menstrual Hygiene Day, visit https://menstrualhygieneday.org/.
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