Schools and family wellbeing centres in Sefton benefit from regular donations of ‘red boxes’ filled with gifted period products to help young girls to tackle period poverty.
Bootle Town Hall is the latest location to become a designated donation point for sanitary products and Sefton Council is working with the Sefton Red Box Project to set up more over the coming months.
Residents are encouraged to donate various items to the scheme, including pads, tampons, underwear, deodorants, pants and sanitary bags to a drop off box, which will then be distributed to those most in need.
Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing, said: “This vital service means that young women don’t have to go home in an emergency and can easily access products free from embarrassment.
“We know that feedback to the Red Box project has been incredible, with our schools saying the packages are warmly welcomed and well used.
“More so the boxes are actually having a positive impact on attendance.
“It fills me with pride to see our wonderful communities coming together to make so many generous donations to the Red Box project and I hope this goes a long way to overcoming any stigmas people may have. We all need to work together to tackle the issue of period poverty.”
Mandy Smith, who started the Sefton Red Box project, added: “We are a community based, not-for-profit initiative. I started the Sefton project in January after reading about the effects of period poverty on our young women. As a mum I knew I that I had to help in some way.
“Since February, we have placed 70 boxes into schools, including all secondary schools, colleges and specialist schools across the borough.”
To find out more about Red Box Sefton or to get involved email redboxproject.sefton@gmail.com.
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