Your help is needed. Period.

Your help is needed. Period.

Periods are a fact of life. Monthly menstruation products are a necessity. And nobody should have to pick between feeding their family and being able to afford basic hygiene products. Yet far too many people – especially those living in poverty – simply can’t afford them.

The result? Loss of dignity. Too many young girls missing school because they don’t have access to products. Others forced to scramble to live without or depend on asking for help.

The community need is real.

Menstruation and the need for menstrual products is not a topic that many are willing to talk about. It’s personal. To some it’s a source of shame, and to many young girls in particular, it’s just embarrassing.

For many struggling families, the issue is compounded when the need is there for both parents and kids. Add on the pressure for newcomers and refugee families, or for those who identify as trans or gender non-conforming, and it can be plain overwhelming.

So, while it’s too often a silent issue, the need is very real.

In a recent survey with United Way partner agencies in the Lower Mainland, almost 60% of the respondents who don’t provide menstruation products do get asked for them. And more than 80% indicated they don’t have a proper budget for menstruation products – leaving them dependent on donations, or, in a few cases, staff purchasing these products out of their own pockets.

In cases where donated menstruation products haven’t been available, our partner agencies reported everything from vulnerable women having to just live without to desperate stories of young girls shoplifting in an effort to fill the need.[/vc_column_text]