United Way Central Alberta is asking people in Red Deer and the surrounding area to join its Period Promise campaign, which runs through May 28, 2026, World Menstrual Health Day. The campaign encourages workplaces, schools, and community groups to offer free tampons and pads, while everyday residents can pitch in by holding product drives or making donations.
The local effort aims to ease what is often called period poverty, the struggle to afford basic menstrual supplies. Across Canada, one in six people who menstruate has faced this kind of hardship, and that number climbs to one in four for those in households earning less than $40,000 a year, according to Women and Gender Equality Canada.
Businesses and organizations are being urged to sign the Period Promise policy, a public pledge to stock free menstrual products in their washrooms for anyone who needs them. Individuals who want to help can organize collection drives at their workplace or in their neighbourhood, or give money directly to the campaign to buy products for local agencies.
In 2024–2025, the United Way Central Alberta delivered 70,500 menstrual products, donated by P&G, to 59 schools around central Alberta, and through community donations, another 12,200 products reached 15 agencies supporting people dealing with period poverty. The campaign also runs 12 school pilots with easy-access dispensers in communities like Red Deer, Lacombe, Innisfail, Sylvan Lake, Ponoka, Rimbey, Wetaskiwin, and Pigeon Lake.
Chelsea O’Donoghue, CEO of United Way Central Alberta, says the campaign is about local action. “Together, we are mobilizing to make a local impact on reducing vulnerability and isolation caused by period poverty,” she said. The program has also received support from the Government of Alberta, which invested $260,000 in 2022 to grow Period Promise into 50 schools across the province, and the federal Menstrual Equity Fund pilot, which has committed over $29.8 million since 2023 to tackle similar barriers nationwide.
Residents and groups wanting to take part before May 28 can find details on the United Way Central Alberta website or reach out to Alexis Forbes at [email protected].
