Many of our most vulnerable community members find difficulty choosing whether to pick up groceries or fork out the extra cash to grab essential part of their health – period products.
The 2024 Big Bloody Survey found that 64 per cent of respondents felt that exact same way; and with the rising cost of living, more, and more people find it hard to choose.
Share the Dignity are shutting out ‘the decision’ of period poverty all together.
It is asking for who can to add tampons, pads or other period products to their trolley during their weekly Woolworths trip to give to those who can’t afford them.
Simply drop the products into the Share the Dignity bins at the front of the store and know that one person won’t have to make the choice between groceries and pelvic health.
This is the tenth year Share the Dignity has run this bi-annual event, and local advocate for the organisation Caryn Crawford said they have no intention of slowing down.
“It’s really important to be able to get products out to people that really need them in the community,” she said.
“It’s a really great cause, and an essential item that people need. I don’t think it’s far that some people have to choose between feeding their families or period products.”
Share the Dignity’s founder, Rochelly Courtenay said while they have done a lot to assist those getting period products in the last 10 years, the work has only just begun for them.
“It is clear that our work is more critical than ever, and more people than ever need our help,” she said.
Share the Dignity are partnering with Woolworths providing pink collection boxes for period products to be donated, so there’s no way shoppers can miss them.
Woolworths will also donate five cents for every sale of a period product throughout March, adding to the $3.1 million already fundraised towards ending period poverty.
Kyabram Woolworths employee Kat Foster said the fundraiser was a great opportunity to provide essential services to those who need it most.
“We just like to support those local small, forgotten organisations like Share the Dignity,” she said.
“Period poverty is one of those things people don’t regularly think of, and being a company that every know and is out there, it helps drive further donations.
“We’re asking anyone who is grabbing products to pick up another and pop into the collection bin at the front of the store and help break the period poverty.”