Help Address Period Poverty in Lanark County

Our February speaker, Carley Stewart from The Period Purse shared some startling statistics about the impact of period poverty in Canada, inspiring us to launch a drive to collect menstrual products to address this problem here in Lanark County.

According to research conducted by Plan International Canada Inc., in 2019, about 34 percent of women and girls in Canada had to “often” or “occasionally” make budget sacrifices to afford menstrual products, and as the cost of consumer goods and groceries skyrockets across the country, this number is growing.

Some girls simply miss a week of school each month because they have no products at all, and women miss work and may forfeit their income.

With no products available, women resort to substitutions that can be unhygienic and ineffective, like wadded-up toilet paper or paper towels, wearing tampons for far longer than is healthy and safe, or wearing nothing and free bleeding because there is no alternative -- all for the want of something which should be considered a basic human need, like the toilet paper and soap provided for free in every public washroom.

It is estimated that Canadian women spend up to $6,000 in their lifetime on menstrual hygiene products, and women in rural communities can pay double the price for the same products found in larger cities.

That is why we are launching a Period Product Drive!

CFUW Perth and District is collecting period products from its members and the greater community to help the menstruators of Lanark County. All donations will be delivered to The Table Community Food Centre for distribution. We will be collecting these items prior to our monthly general meeting between 6:30 and 7:30 pm on Monday, March 20th at the Legion, 26 Beckwith Street East in Perth.

Help us fill the mini-van!

And if you are unable to make this event you may drop them off yourself at The Table, 190 Gore Street East in Perth.

Suggested items include pads, tampons, menstrual cups, and period underwear.

What: A product drive to collect menstrual products

When: Monday, March 20, 2023, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm

Where: Bring your donations to the Royal Canadian Legion, 26 Beckwith Street East, Perth or if you can't make it that night, directly to The Table, 190 Gore Street East, Perth.