Sanitary protection when money is tight

www.allyoursbox.co.uk/our-story

Pensionpat you might be interested in, and amazed by this amazing charity started by a mother and her daughter.
Supported by The Trussell Trust with donations.

Be aware butterandjam, that most of these posts are from before the Covid era.

Have any of you tackled this issue or have any ideas?

In England. free supplies of sanitary products are available to all school age females.
In Scotland, they are available to all women, free.

Perhaps you should make notices to display your foodbank, informing its customers and staff how to obtain them.

Our library, church community halls and some cafes have free sanitary products in their toilet areas. Perhaps much has improved since this Zombie Thread was started.

There was something in our local press about donating vouchers that often come through the post for sanitary products to woman's refuges or food banks rather than just throwing them away. That's a sensible idea I wouldn't have thought of.

I was one of 6 daughters so sanitary protection added a big monthly bill to our household budget I can tell you . I was recently in a lovely cafe and in the ladies there was a large basket containing pads , tampons and wipes in each cubicle . I no longer have a need but I thought that was a fantastic touch . Hope it doesn't get abused .
I definitely think there's a need for making these items freely available. Girls are starting menstruation earlier these days and not all come from stable homes

pensionpat

At Food Bank yesterday we were discussing the difficulties in affording sanitary wear. Apparently some girls miss school regularly every month, and there has been a death due to a girl leaving in her tampon and having toxic shock syndrome.

We shall appeal for donations, but can't think of the best way to distribute them. One volunteer has talked to local schools, but they have refused to be part of the solution. Understandable since their resources are spread thinly. I'm sure this might be the case in GP surgeries too.

A suggestion was made to ask voucher holders if they would like some supplies to be included with their food, but this is restricting the help to Food Bank clients. Plus the old argument of potential embarrassment to either client or volunteer.

Have any of you tackled this issue or have any ideas?

Well, as Scotland provides sanitary protection free of charge to all women who need it, I suggest you ,while donating such items to food banks etc. ,start badgering your MPs until England does the same!

FriedGreenTomatoes2

This thread is from 2017
Was obviously used (and then post was deleted) for some reason! 🤷‍♀️

I didn't look to the date, should have. However, an informative OP.

This thread is from 2017
Was obviously used (and then post was deleted) for some reason! 🤷‍♀️

Ilovecheese

Whether the girls are without sanitary products because their parents have run out of money or whether they are not very good with money, doesn't alter the fact that the girls need the products.

This ^

Our Church has sanitary products on the list of needed donations. I'd not know I could easily help and just didn't.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

I've started buying a packet to put in the food bank bin when I shop. It's hard to believe that we've become such a third world country.

The homeless period have been sending out pink period donation bins to shops in Brighton, Nottingham etc, maybe if they put donation bins in places like public toilets, libraries etc they would get more ladies and girls to donate a pack or box of pads, liners or tampons, they may even own a unopened pack they don't need which could be distributed to people in need

Donation bins could also be put in toilets at schools, colleges and universities too

It never crossed my mind to add sanitary protection to the food bins at supermarkets. A simple idea which will hopefully help.

I know a middle aged man who is down on his luck job wise at present but is expecting a small windfall any day- only dole money backdated. I took him to Aldi and we chose enough food for him and the dog to last for a week. I felt so sorry for him because he was nearly in tears-only £30 spent and hopefully it helped him. He is too proud to go near a food bank.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-40566524

a step in the right direction?

70 different charities, this year, all to do with women and girls, paddyann.
I didn't know there were that many!

Dj I was told the government was giving the VAT from sanitary products to a Pro Life group ,now with their alliance with the DUP that makes sense .

reckin=reckon. I really should read before I post.

I read that, too, Moira. Fareshare is the foodbank round here. They reckin that half of households using foodbanks have a disabled person and 1 in 3 someone with mental health problems.
Quite scary really.

www.fareshare.org.uk/fareshare-welcomes-trussell-trust-report-on-food-insecurity/

Latest Trussell Trust report.

Apparently single men are large users of food banks so perhaps shaving gear should also be donated so food banks could have both male an female toiletry packs available. I know shaving is not so essential but still important for going to work or interviews.

Agreed, goldengirl. Signed it ages ago.

Thought this a good petition lead by a very active campaigner

www.change.org/p/procter-gamble-support-the-homeless-on-their-period-period-homelessperiod?source_location=minibar

Every link I put on is dubious according to some people.
How do you know if a link is dubious or not?
Lots of people, including Baggs, link to TED talks.

That link specifically mentions using socks as sanitary towels, and having a child, that child being the only thing left when you have no bed, no food, no heating.

However some people will always be blinkered, thinking that their ideas and their knowledge, or lack of it, is the only thing that matters.

quite probably.

Thanks rosearered but think we are flogging a dead horse with this one.