NEWS RELEASE
THE BRADFORD WOMEN'S+ GROUP
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The Bradford Women’s+ Group and Rise Up BWG are teaming up with local businesses to collect donations of period products for northern, remote Indigenous communities this month.
During the month of March, the Bradford Women’s+ Group and Rise Up BWG are collecting period products for Moon Time Sisters, a non-profit volunteer organization that gathers donated menstrual products for northern, remote Indigenous communities. The donation drive launched on March 8, International Women’s Day, and continues until March 31, 2022. Donations of pads, tampons, cloth pads, menstrual cups, and natural pain relief can be dropped off at local businesses Bradford Wellness Centre, Times Designs, and GoodLife Fitness, as well as the BWG Leisure Centre.
The groups are hoping the donation drive will also raise awareness about period poverty and its impacts. In Canada and all over the world, people who menstruate lack access to safe, hygienic menstrual products, affecting their ability to manage their periods with dignity.
“When people can’t manage their periods safely and with dignity they may have feelings of shame and embarrassment and struggle to participate in work, school, and community life,” said Jennifer Lloyd of the Bradford Women’s+ Group. “This drive is one way we can help alleviate the experience of period poverty, but we will continue to advocate for policies that recognize the necessity of menstrual products and ensure everyone has access to the resources they need.”
Black and Indigenous communities, as well as people who are experiencing houselessness, poverty, and food insecurity are disproportionately impacted by this issue, which has been worsened by increased financial insecurity and supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We tend to think that issues like these only occur in impoverished countries far away from our view. The reality is that people in our own country are facing the same harsh realities with lack of resources or unaffordable prices that can be four times the cost we pay here in Bradford,” said Jennifer Bahinski, owner of Bella Lovelee Beads and member of Rise Up BWG. “This alone is cause for concern. A person’s menstrual cycle should not be a burden of debt each month that hinders them from attending school or work and continuing about their daily life.”
The recipient organization Moon Time Sisters aims to address the disproportionate period poverty affecting northern Indigenous communities by providing affordable products to menstruators and promoting the power and solidarity of menstruators living in these communities. Nicole Racette White, a Métis woman from Saskatchewan, started the inaugural chapter in 2017 after she learned that some young people were missing school because they did not have access to the products they needed to manage their periods.
“Living in a remote northern community often means not having access to basic necessities. Many women and girls lack access to menstrual products, which means they stay home instead of coming to school,” said Catherine Blondin, a teacher in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories. “During freeze up and break up season we are isolated from the rest of the country and supplies need to be flown into the community, driving prices up even more”.
Today, the Ontario chapter of Moon Time Sisters partners with over 30 northern Indigenous communities in Ontario, Quebec, Nunavut, and Northwest Territories to supply people who menstruate with free period products. They work with high schools, health care centres, food banks, women’s shelters, midwifery organizations, and community programs to ensure these products are accessible to those who need them.
“Our society needs to do better,” Blondin said. “People don’t choose to need these products. They should be treated as necessities”.
Supporters are encouraged to help spread the word about the donation campaign and share photos or videos of their donations on social media, tagging the participating groups and the business/centre where they drop off their donation.
To learn more about the donation drive, visit bradfordwomensgroup.square.site/moontimesisters, email [email protected], or contact Jenn at (905) 251-9926.
Full list of drop off locations and hours:
- 157 Holland St E. Unit 3, Bradford, ON
- Hours: Monday - Friday from 10 AM - 6 PM or Saturday from 9 AM - 1 PM
- 140 Holland St W. Unit 4, Bradford, ON
- Hours: Monday from 10 AM - 8:30 PM, Tuesday - Friday from 10 AM - 9 PM, or Saturday from 9 AM - 3 PM
- 553 Holland St. W., Bradford, ON
- Hours: Monday - Friday from 6 AM - 10 PM, Saturday and Sunday from 8 AM - 6 PM
- 471 West Park Ave., Bradford, ON
- Hours: Monday - Friday from 6 AM - 10 PM, Saturday and Sunday from 7:30 AM - 5 PM
Leisure centre users can donate inside the women's change rooms and members of the public can drop off at the customer service desk.
Alternative drop off or pick up arrangements can be made by contacting [email protected] or calling/texting Jenn at (905) 251-9926.
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