“M2D2” Aims to Provide Hygiene Products to Women in Need
The Kwantlen Student Association, along with the on-campus feminist group Women Organising Opportunities for Women, are holding a drive this month to collect feminine hygiene products and other assorted toiletries for the Surrey Women’s Centre.
The campaign, dubbed M2D2—or, the “Mighty Menstruation Donation Drive”—asks students to provide pads, tampons, wipes, and other hygiene products in closed packaging for women in need. Products can be dropped off in a box at Member Services. The campaign is not collecting money, though WOOW encourages any donors so inclined to give financial donations to the Surrey Women’s Centre directly.
“We are trying to provide for these women comfortable times of the month where they know that they can be clean,” says Natasha Lopes who, in addition to being a WOOW organizer is also the KSA’s Women’s representative and VP Student Life. “Being clean is just one more step to feeling good about yourself and taking care of yourself.”
The Surrey Women’s Centre is located at 10075 Whalley Boulevard and aims to provide for “women and girls escaping domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of gender-based violence.” The KSA and WOOW have reached out to the Centre as part of an ongoing effort to make KPU student groups more active in the community beyond our campuses.
According to Lopes, people are accessing these services from women’s centres more and more. The need for hygiene products can provide a significant barrier for women aiming to escape poverty by providing one more regular financial expense and the absence of these resources can hinder women from being able to get back on their feet.
“I wouldn’t classify this as a health crisis but it is a health issue and concern,” says Lopes. “If you get infected and you don’t have the means to help yourself or to get medication to help that infection, what do you do then?”
The Mighty Menstruation Donation Drive is among the first of the KSA’s “soft campaigns.” Soft campaigns are intended to be simple, efficient initiatives designed to do good in the community without using resources or expenses associated with events. Lopes says similar soft campaigns are currently in the works.
