Tampon Tuesday addresses an unacknowledged need
Menstruation is a fact of life for
about half of the world’s population,
but due to cultural taboos and
stigma surrounding this perfectly
normal bodily function, many disadvantaged
women find themselves
lacking the products they need.
Tampon Tuesday, an annual event organized by Mandi Fields, community relations co-ordinator at CTV, was created in 2009 after Fields saw a lack of feminine hygiene products available at a food bank.
She said the response over the past seven years has been extraordinary, but that does not mean the momentum should slow down.
“It’s important for us to be aware of poverty in our own community. It’s really easy to make a donation and walk away,” Fields said. “There’s something about Tampon Tuesday that really sinks in for people. It’s very difficult, living in poverty and getting your period. People can’t go to school or to work because they can’t afford these products.”
Tampons and maxi pads are often an expense that some women cannot afford. Mary Anne McDowell, the operations co-ordinator at the London Food Bank, said that thanks to Tampon Tuesday the over 2,500 women who access the food bank every month are provided the hygiene products they need.
“Before Tampon Tuesday, we weren’t able to give every woman who requested either pads or tampons what they needed. Now, every women receives a minimum of a full tampon box and a dozen pads. It’s been a huge bonus for us,” Mc- Dowell said.
She added that the nature of menstruation means that there’s no such thing as too many maxi pads.
“There’s an ongoing need. If this initiative [Tampon Tuesday] were to stop, we would end up back in a situation where we weren’t able to give feminine hygiene products to everyone who requests them,” she said.
Amy Romao, coordinator of Fanshawe’s Sharing Shop, said an initiative they ran earlier in the year provided them with a surplus on tampons but the donation centre is lacking maxi pads. She said pads are the most used products but also the least donated. Romao urges anyone who can to donate.
“There’s a great need for feminine hygiene products here at Fanshawe College,” Romao said. “Perhaps people are embarrassed to bring those products in. Maybe they think it’s a private issue. But it is a necessary item that women need.”
Romao said about eight to 10 students access the Sharing Shop every day.
Fields said that menstruation is still shame-based but she hopes that events like Tampon Tuesday can not only provide women the support they need but can also help reduce the stigma surrounding the issue.
“It’s a new day for women in terms of women’s issues. The name itself of Tampon Tuesday provokes curiosity and interest. Some people don’t like the name, they think it’s crass. But this is about providing dignity to women in poverty.”
This year’s Tampon Tuesday event will be held on Feb. 9 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Jack Astor’s Bar and Grill at 88 Fanshawe Park Rd E.
Tampon Tuesday, an annual event organized by Mandi Fields, community relations co-ordinator at CTV, was created in 2009 after Fields saw a lack of feminine hygiene products available at a food bank.
She said the response over the past seven years has been extraordinary, but that does not mean the momentum should slow down.
“It’s important for us to be aware of poverty in our own community. It’s really easy to make a donation and walk away,” Fields said. “There’s something about Tampon Tuesday that really sinks in for people. It’s very difficult, living in poverty and getting your period. People can’t go to school or to work because they can’t afford these products.”
Tampons and maxi pads are often an expense that some women cannot afford. Mary Anne McDowell, the operations co-ordinator at the London Food Bank, said that thanks to Tampon Tuesday the over 2,500 women who access the food bank every month are provided the hygiene products they need.
“Before Tampon Tuesday, we weren’t able to give every woman who requested either pads or tampons what they needed. Now, every women receives a minimum of a full tampon box and a dozen pads. It’s been a huge bonus for us,” Mc- Dowell said.
She added that the nature of menstruation means that there’s no such thing as too many maxi pads.
“There’s an ongoing need. If this initiative [Tampon Tuesday] were to stop, we would end up back in a situation where we weren’t able to give feminine hygiene products to everyone who requests them,” she said.
Amy Romao, coordinator of Fanshawe’s Sharing Shop, said an initiative they ran earlier in the year provided them with a surplus on tampons but the donation centre is lacking maxi pads. She said pads are the most used products but also the least donated. Romao urges anyone who can to donate.
“There’s a great need for feminine hygiene products here at Fanshawe College,” Romao said. “Perhaps people are embarrassed to bring those products in. Maybe they think it’s a private issue. But it is a necessary item that women need.”
Romao said about eight to 10 students access the Sharing Shop every day.
Fields said that menstruation is still shame-based but she hopes that events like Tampon Tuesday can not only provide women the support they need but can also help reduce the stigma surrounding the issue.
“It’s a new day for women in terms of women’s issues. The name itself of Tampon Tuesday provokes curiosity and interest. Some people don’t like the name, they think it’s crass. But this is about providing dignity to women in poverty.”
This year’s Tampon Tuesday event will be held on Feb. 9 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Jack Astor’s Bar and Grill at 88 Fanshawe Park Rd E.
