UWBC aims to collect 700,000 menstrual products for its Period Promise campaign

KAMLOOPS — United Way British Columbia (UWBC) launched its Period Promise campaign for 2022 Thursday (May 5) morning.

The non-profit organization says it’s working with communities in B.C.’s Interior, Lower Mainland and Central and Northern Vancouver Island to collect a UWBC record of over 700,000 menstrual products, which is 200,000 more than its goal in 2021. UWBC says its goal is higher simply because the need for period products has never been higher.

According to United Way’s research as seen in its Period Promise Final Report, 26 per cent of people who menstruate in B.C. say that they had gone through a period without having menstrual products available to them. Additionally, 13 per cent of people who menstruate in B.C. say that, as dependents, their families had not been able to afford menstrual products on their behalf, while 30 per cent of people say that they haven’t known where to access menstrual products they could afford when their period has hit.

UWBC says 50 per cent of its community partners indicated an increase in demand for their services because of COVID-19, and nearly 45 per cent of them indicated an increased demand for free menstrual products at their organization.

In 2021, United Way Thompson Nicola Cariboo raised nearly $36,000 worth of period products, over 71,405 total pieces to support people who menstruate.

UWBC is collecting period products from May 6 to June 7.