Medicine Hat’s community-driven ‘End Period Poverty’ campaign enters final days

After doing a mission in Mexico where the group supported a girls home with menstrual products, they decided to help the cause locally.

Skateboard association member Davie James said they initially felt so great last year about how many products they raised.

“Like six grand in products we were able to accumulate…we were feeling so good,” James said.

“The reality is, after talking to the warehouse manager this year, he’s like, ‘oh, yeah, that lasted like two months at the Root Cellar,'” he added.

“We’re like, ‘oh, dude’, like, we got to do better.”

James said it’s something close to the skateboard association.

“I would say we have, a good 30 to 35 per cent of our crew is young women that have struggled with this issue before,” James said.

“This is a relatable thing, and we do care about it.”

Casa Amigos Cantina is one of a number of business who have volunteered as a drop off location, and one who has agreed to match the donations received.

The Skateboard Association had set up a booth at Save-On-Foods in Medicine Hat and was able to help raise over $2,000 worth of product in a day.

An End Period Poverty poster in Casa Amigos Cantina. Kevin Kyle/CHAT News

The End Period Poverty campaign which wraps up on Monday, has also received support from the Redcliff Youth Centre.

Executive Director, Janae Ulrich said that there are so many in our community that go without the necessary basic needs every single day.

“This is one of those products that, there’s been studies of some girls that have been charged with theft for having to steal these basic need products,” Ulrich said.

“They’re missing school because, they don’t have the necessary supplies in order to get through the day, in order to go to school.”

Ulrich said that one in four girls will skip school, because they don’t have menstrual products and there are people out there that are having to choose between food and necessary products to be able to get through their day.

Participating drop off locations for the End Period Poverty campaign include:

Root Cellar Food and Wellness Hub
Save-On-Foods
Casa Amigos Cantina
Mr. Lube
Station Coffee Company
Medicine Hat College – Arts Building and Student Association Office
Sun Valley Honda
Space Arcaders Medicine Hat
Lefties Cannabis
Reality Bytes Incorporated
Euphoria
YogaRevolution Medicine Hat
Hell’s Basement Brewery
The Boarding House
Bold Brunette Lashes
Homestead Market
Five Guys
Redcliff Youth Centre
Redcliff Pharmasave
Redcliff Family Foods
Parkside School

After the campaign is done, donations will continue to be accepted at the Root Cellar.

by Jesse Gill

Medicine Hat’s community-driven ‘End Period Poverty’ campaign enters final days

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