Giving period products to those in need

Fostering a culture of equity and inclusion in our communities means making it possible for people who have periods to access much-needed menstrual supplies. The lack of access to menstrual products is an issue across the entire province—and COVID-19 has made the affordability of menstrual products more difficult for tens of thousands of citizens.

SFU invites  community members to help by filling the need during the United Way’s 2021 Period Promise Campaign from May 6th to June 3rd. The ask is simple: please make a financial donation and then ask others to do the same.

In 2020, the United Way of the Lower Mainland distributed more than 450,000 menstrual products to local community-facing organizations in Metro Vancouver.

At SFU, despite pandemic challenges, members of our community stepped up to help. That includes the SFSS Women’s Centre’s Athena Guertin, who turned her living room into a make-shift distribution center and mailed out more than 1,000 products to those in need. As well, SFU Beedie alumnus Hangue Kim donated 100,000 sanitary pads for those in the Lower Mainland who menstruate and are unable to afford menstrual products at some point in their life, either for themselves or for a dependent.

“Nearly two billion people around the world menstruate. This biological process impacts a person’s life and their ability to participate in regular activities be it at school, work or in the community when they cannot access menstrual supplies. In this day and age, having periods must not limit the choices people who menstruate need to make. Campaigns like Period Promise don’t just raise awareness, they make us question why this problem exists and how can we end Period Poverty,” says SFU's former United Way Campaign Cabinet Member and Executive Sponsor Liaison Sobhana Jaya-Madhavan.

According to United Way research, 51% of respondents indicated that they struggled to purchase product for themselves. We know that people who don’t have access to menstrual products miss out on work, school, social events and opportunities to contribute to their community.

Periods are a part of life. Join us with your support in any way you can.