When Nicole White discovered young women in northern Saskatchewan were skipping school because they couldn’t access menstruation products, she knew she had to do something.
It sparked the idea to start the group, Moon Time Sisters.
During its first drive last spring, the group sent more than 96,000 hygiene products to 15 communities in northern Saskatchewan.
This year, they are hoping to surpass 100,000 products.
“It’s something that’s tangible. We have products you can buy for $6 and a lot of us can afford to donate a $6 package and that goes a long way,” said White, the founder of Moon Time Sisters.
“Sometimes change comes in the form of a free tampon.”
For the month of March, public collection points have been set up in Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert.
One of the points is Dad’s Organic Market in Saskatoon.
“Anything that’s donated to us in the bin, we’ll match the monetary value and give it to the organization itself,” said Montana MacAulay, a supplement adviser at Dad’s Organic Market.
The group, Do Something University of Saskatchewan, also joined the effort, hosting a bake sale on campus to raise money to purchase products to donate.
“Being a campus thing, I know it’s small, but every little bit helps. It’s good for us to get involved in the campus community and get students aware of issues we have,” said Courtney Onstad, the co-president of Do Something U of S.
The Moon Time Sisters movement has expanded, opening chapters in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
White hopes Moon Time Sisters is a conversation starter, while also breaking down stigma.
“If you need a reminder of how uncomfortable and how quickly people stop making eye contact, is talk about menstruation, which is silly, so we’ve got some work to do,” said White.
The group will be collecting products for the remainder of the month and will deliver them in April.
Moon Time Sisters is asking for tampons, pads, cloth reusable pads and menstrual cups.
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