Period poverty, how can we help?

[Mailfuckoff]

I hear that period poverty is still a thing but some food banks have too much San pro as its not an issue in their area. How can I help locally and who do I need to contact? I remember being a teenager and too ashamed to ask for anything so using tissue and hoping for the best.

Making them free from dispensers ingirls loos in school. ItIts an absolute disgrace that girls don't have access to these free in schools?!???

Maybe schools should have donated boxes in their loos.

The Red Box Project has boxes in lots of local schools. They have donation points inside a few local shops and you can don't mate directly to school.

I'm unsure about adults. Perhaps homeless charities?

Can *donate

I set up a subscription to Hey Girls. £3.25 a month & they donate sanpro to local projects on my behalf.

Im considering putting an anonymous box in my loos at work i probably can't afford to constantly put expensive brand names in but its so horrible when at work and you come on unprepared having to try numerous ladies at work to find the right san pro (i cant use tampons for example) i doubt itd be a period poverty hot spot but hopefully people who need will take and who knows if they take they might add a packet the next day or just a replacement to pay it forward... I'll be putting a note to suggest this.

Thanks all, some great suggestions here

If your DC go to any clubs ask the leaders if a box can be put in the toilets and parents can donate. DDs dance school does this, there is a box in the toilets with an assortment of products and a sign saying to help yourself and parents can donate to the school so they can refill the box. Usually when I get my own period I buy an extra pack of towels for DD to take to class with her for the box.

Ooo, how exciting that sanpro boxes might start magically appearing all over the country!!! How wonderful, no girl should ever have to go without, and yes, also so very helpful when you run out and get caught out as a grown up girl too!

How can it not be an issue in their area. If ppl cant afford food they cant afford sanpro surely.
Ive come accross this before and it was because they were too embarrased to even discuss it let alone hand them out.

"How can it not be an issue in their area."

Because they have so many donations, they do not need it as a priority item. My local food bank updates website regularly with two lists:
a) 'thanks to your generosity we have ample sticks of the following and do not need more at present'
b) ' these are the things we really need'

Sanpro has been on list A for months now (along with breakfast cereal, baked beans, pasta, nappies)

If you are in an area where the food bank doesn't need sanpro donations, please contact the welfare officer at your local 16- 18 college. They take students from a wide area and often struggle to keep up with demand - our local college restricts it to 1 pad or tampon, on request only, as they have so many students.

oh i see so they may have a bit of an overload.

The Red Box Project is excellent in our area and covers a large number of schools

Find out we're your 16-25 year old, hostels are.

A lot of them are Care leavers, as well as homeless, or rejected by Family etc.

Community/Children's Centers, may be running the Red Box Project, also.

I donated products to The Red Box project, because I knew they'd be at an even that I was at. If supermarkets had a box, like the foodbank ones, I would donate every time that I bought my own.

Going to suggest it to my Woman's network at work to see if it can we out charity this year

Our local Food Bank is overwhelmed with san-pro, people are very generous but we constantly put up lists of what is needed, and ‘polite’ lists of ‘thanks but we have plenty of ..... ‘ but many people do seem to donate what they think Food Bank users ‘ought’ to want .

Thanks Cuckoo, that is a good idea about contacting a local college, we already donate to the local Refuge & a hostel for care leavers but could also pass some on to the college.

@Justanotheruser01 I do it for both the staff and customer toilets at work
Three fabric bags, one for each of liners, tampons and pads in. That's reminded me to check the customer ones tomorrow before anyone comes in!

Some of these ideas have been overtaken by events

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47553449

The government is to start funding the provision of sanpro in English secondary schools (already happening in Scotland, don't know if other other devolved gifts have done this).

It might therefore be better to target primary schools, which fall outside the initiative

Contact your local Food Bank & ask them direct ( should be able to google it). Our Food Bank is overwhelmed with san pro, bound to get even more donations with the recent news coverage.