(Above) From left, Mjr Renee Dearing, CO, Fredericton CC; Tanya Arseneault and partners from Regent Mall and Move 106.9

Throughout the month of May, Fredericton Community Church partnered with Fredericton’s Move 106.9 and the Regent Mall to help fight period poverty in their city through a Tampon Tuesday campaign.

Tampon Tuesday is a grassroots program that works with community partners to collect menstrual hygiene products for those in need, as they are one of the most requested yet least donated items at food banks.

“Period poverty is real, and it is a problem here as it is in every part of this country. It is prioritizing food over tampons, housing over pads and the dozens of other decisions made to survive in the face of this invisible form of poverty,” says Tanya Arseneault, community ministries co-ordinator, Fredericton.

Residents of Fredericton quickly understood the need, and in just four short weeks 725 packages of menstrual products were donated, totaling more than 25,000 individual hygiene items. That number continues to climb as individuals and local businesses drop off their donations.

“Together, The Salvation Army and the City of Fredericton are helping to combat period poverty and provide dignity to our clients, one box at a time,” says Arseneault.

Donations from the Tampon Tuesday campaign will be distributed through local food banks, including Fredericton Community Church’s, which operates three days a week.

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