Access To Necessities, Period.
During the month of February I collected menstrual products to donate to two local shelters: Anselma House in Kitchener and Haven House in Cambridge. Both facilities are 24-hour emergency shelters for women that empower women to move beyond violence.
Feminine hygiene products continue to be items of need on wish lists amongst many shelters.
Women and girls rely on these products monthly to meet basic care and hygiene needs. 1 in 4 Canadian women have to choose between food or period products, setting aside a set of needs to take care of another set of needs. In lieu of these products women will often resort to lining their underwear with items like towels, tissue paper, newspaper and socks. This causes concern for hygiene and possible infection.
No girl, woman or person should ever have to choose.
Once all donations were collected, I took several hours one day with the help of two wonderful girlfriends and we organized, took inventory, and packed up all of the donations.
Ready for the final numbers?
I collected …
3518 tampons
5002 pads
3411 liners
For a total of 11,931 products!
I have donated one round of about 100 packages of products to the shelters so far based on their inventory requirements. I am stocking and storing excess donations that the Houses cannot currently store, and will continue to replenish their supply when needed.
I am so grateful for all of the support and generosity that I received from the community! I cannot thank you all enough! I look forward to running this donation campaign again next year! Stayed tuned for February 2022!
