Tampon Tuesday aims to increase access to feminine hygiene products provincewide

Periods are a fact of life, but many women struggle on a monthly basis to afford feminine hygiene products.

The Tampon Tuesday donation drive is hoping to help provide feminine hygiene products to women in need. Last year the initiative came to St. John's for the first time, providing over 11,000 units of feminine hygiene products to the St. John's Women's Centre.

Tammy Davis is executive director of United Way Newfoundland and Labrador one of the organizations behind Tampon Tuesday. After the success of last year's drive, Davis saidthey're expanding thescope to help women across the province.

"We've gone from just St. John's to clear across Newfoundland and Labrador," Davis said.

"So we're helping make the Tampon Tuesday movement explode."

Tampon Tuesdaystarted in 2009 in London, Ont.,after a woman named Mandi Fields noticed there were no feminine hygiene products available in the non-food item section of a local food bank.

After learning that feminine hygiene products were often requested but rarely donated, Fields decided to do something about it.

The first Tampon Tuesday was attended by six women. Ten years later,Tampon Tuesday donation drives are held far and wide Davis says.

"I think in 2018 it was in 33 cities," Davis said. "Last year, a lot more."

Davis says the dramatic increase of scope for the initiative was only possible because of the help of RBC, the International Women's Day Committee andthe Newfoundland andLabrador Federation of Labour.

This year, RBCis sponsoring the donation drive,increasing the amount of drop off locations by having each branch accept donations. The drives are taking place in six more women's centres as well as five other locations across the province.

Davis saiddespite issues accessing feminine hygiene products being so common, it's not something often discussed publicly something she attributes to stigma.

"A lot of people don't want to talk about it," Davis said. "Still in 2020, talking about menstruation in polite company is not something that most people will do."

It's something we need to get more comfortable talking about in order to tackle the problem, Davis said. Society is making progress, but there's still a ways to go.

"When I was in the Halifax airport recently, the old coin operated thing had all of the products on the bottom and a big 'free' sign across the top," Davis said. "So it was great to see that women aren't being held hostage to their periods anymore."

Davis is urging those who can help to do so, and says there are plans to expand the initiative even further next year. Anyone interested in being a collection point for donations is asked tocontact United Way Newfoundland and Labrador.

Davis says all the information on participating drop off zones can be found on United Way's various social media accounts.

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