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Period Promise - Because Basic needs matter. period.

Periods are a normal part of life — but for far too many people in North East Ontario, having a period shouldn’t also mean facing financial hardship.

Menstrual products are not a luxury — they’re a basic necessity. Yet so many people struggle to afford them, forcing impossible choices each month between food, rent, heat, or period products. United Way Centraide North East Ontario’s Period Promise initiative works to ensure that everyone who needs menstrual products can access them with dignity.

What is Period Poverty?

Period poverty happens when someone cannot afford or access safe menstrual products, education, or sanitation facilities to manage their menstruation hygienically. It affects people of all ages, genders and backgrounds — including women, girls, trans and non-binary folks.

Without reliable access to period products, people may:

  • Miss school or work.
  • Experience embarrassment, stigma, or social isolation.
  • Resort to unsafe alternatives or prolonged use of products, risking health complications

By the Numbers

  • 1 in 6 Canadians who menstruate have experienced period poverty — and this jumps to 1 in 4 for households earning under $40,000 per year.
  • 1 in 5 who menstruate worry they won’t be able to afford products in the next year.
  • Most people agree menstruation can affect participation in school, work, and daily life.

How Period Promise Helps

United Way Centraide North East Ontario partners with community agencies, workplaces, schools and volunteers to:

  • Collect and distribute menstrual products to organizations serving people in need.
  • Raise awareness about period poverty and reduce stigma.
  • Support dignity and inclusion for all people who menstruate.

Your donations help community partners provide free menstrual products so that no one needs to choose between basic needs.

Get Involved

Donate Products or Funds
Purchase menstrual hygiene products (pads, tampons, liners, menstrual cups, period underwear, etc.) and donate at one of our community drop off locations below.

Host a Product Drive
Organize a collection at your workplace, school or community group to amplify the impact.

Champion Period Equity
Help end stigma and ensure menstrual products are treated like other essential hygiene items.

United Way Office 

187 Cedar Street S. - Timmins, ON P4N 2G9

United Way Centraide Office
957 Cambrian Heights Dr. Unit 101, Sudbury

Need Product?

Are you an organization in need of menstrual hygiene products? 
Let us help! Fill out the online request and a member of the Period Promise committee will be in touch.

Period Promise Partners