Melanie Riley
SHARE the Dignity’s biannual Dignity Drive has begun for March and the charity is urging people to donate where they can.
Share the Dignity has seen an increase in requests from its charity partners, with levels currently sitting at 170,000 and rising.
Period products including pads, tampons, maternity pads, incontinence pads, reusable pads, period-proof underwear and menstrual cups can be donated in pink boxes set up at all Woolworths supermarkets nationwide and selected chemists and other retailers.
The charity this year has a goal to collect 500,000 period products as part of both Dignity Drives, held in March and August.
Donations are collected and then distributed locally to those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, domestic violence or poverty, ensuring they don’t have to risk their health and go through the indignity of using other items in place of period products.
Collection points across the Limestone Coast are both Woolworths and Star Chemist stores in Mount Gambier/Berrin and Naracoorte and Millicent Woolworths stores.
All donations stay local and are given to Foodbank and RedCross before being distributed to those in need.
In addition to being a collection point, Woolworths will donate 5 cents from the sale of every period product purchased during the drive, adding to the $2.7 million already donated to help support menstrual equity for all.
The money raised has helped fund 109 Dignity Vending Machines across Australia which dispense free period packs at the push of a button.
Share the Dignity founder and managing director, Rochelle Courtenay said the charity had some big goals set for March in the hopes to ensure menstrual equity for Australians.
“Every Dignity Drive I receive messages from our charity partners expressing their gratitude for the period products, it allows them to ensure their clients can deal with their period with dignity,” Ms Courtenay said.
“If you have the means to do so, I urge you to drop period products into our collection points nationwide, you never know what someone is going through and at the very least let’s ensure women, girls and those who menstruate don’t have to use cotton wool, toilet paper or socks to manage their period.”
In addition to donating, people can make a difference by taking part in the ‘Bloody Big Survey.’
Beginning in 2021, the ‘Bloody Big Survey’ is the world’s largest body of data on menstruation, and will be conducting its second one in line with the drive.
The survey asks questions about period pain, affordability, period shame, period poverty, and other experiences.
The survey is open from March 1 to May 31 with a goal of 200,000 respondents from women, girls and those who menstruate in Australia.
Share the Dignity is set to determine whether period poverty rates have risen in this year’s survey, after seeing in the 2021 survey that one in five people who menstruate have had to improvise on period products.
For each survey completion up to 100,000, U By Kotex will donate a packet of period products to Share the Dignity’s Dignity Drive to assist them in meeting the rising demand.
There are only two volunteers in the Limestone Coast area, Nikki Kirkland and Nicole Milosevic.
Both volunteers are responsible for collecting and delivering all donations from all collection points across Mount Gambier/Berrin, Millicent and Naracoorte for both the Dignity drive and It’s in the Bag initiatives.
They both encourage the local community to get involved to make a positive impact this month by donating what they can.
Ms Kirkland said her reasons for volunteering with Share the Dignity came from her Dad’s love of volunteer work.
“My Dad was a big volunteer, and when he passed, I pledged that I would take that on for him,” she said.
After seeing a call out on Facebook looking for volunteers in the Limestone Coast, she signed up and has been volunteering for four years.
Ms Kirkland felt Share the Dignity was a worthy charity to donate her time.
“All of the donations stay local, which is important,” she said.
“We want to try to help end period poverty.
“It is expensive, so the more we can help them, helps us.”
