Powell River is one of 12 places in British Columbia taking part in a pilot involving affordable menstrual products.
Called the Period Promise, it’s been put together by the United Way and funded by a $95,000 B.C. government grant. The Powell River Action Centre Society will be in charge of facilitating the program here. It’s going to run starting this month and will last until next July.
Period Promise is aimed at reducing “period poverty.” That term describes how the lack of access to menstrual products because of financial limitations affects people’s lives and how addressing the issue can benefit communities.
“Period poverty creates barriers and stigma, and leaves people isolated,” said Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “The United Way’s project will use the knowledge and experience of local organizations already working closely with vulnerable people. This research will help us better understand how we can create solutions that will make a difference.”
The project will be collecting quarterly data to track the number of people served and products used. Always and Tampax have partnered with the United Way to provide menstrual products at a significantly reduced rate, allowing the United Way to increase the amount of participating non-profit agencies.
The government says this increase will broaden the project’s reach and help the United Way create a more robust research report to assist in addressing period poverty in British Columbia. The report will be presented to the government in December of next year. You can learn more about the Period Promise on its website.
