Menstrual care product manufacturer First Quality, the maker of Incognito pads and liners, is tackling period poverty at the local level through the power of partnership. Since 2019, the company has donated more than one million products to Moisson Montréal. Moisson Montréal is not only Canada’s largest foodbank; it also provides other essential personal care items to community organizations across the island.

One of those organizations is Monthly Dignity, which is working to address the causes and consequences of period poverty in Montréal by providing free menstrual products, in addition to education and advocacy efforts.

“By woking together, it really allows us to get more donations and to target many more beneficiaries on a large scale in Montréal,” says Carolanne Cyr, business development representative with Moisson Montréal.

The donated pads are manufactured at First Quality’s Fempro facility in Drummondville, Quebec and shipped directly to Moisson Montréal, where they are repacked into smaller boxes that are easier to redistribute to organizations such as Monthly Dignity. From Monthly Dignity, the pads are distributed to youth programs, women’s shelters and other community groups.  

“Everybody needs to feel comfortable functioning in their daily lives, with their basic needs met,” says Hayley Newman-Petryshen, co-director at Monthly Dignity. “Being able to offer a product of good quality, that is safe, to people who are already in many instances feeling unsafe, that’s huge.”

For First Quality, the partnership reflects the company’s foundational belief that raising the quality of a product can raise someone’s quality of life.

“We believe that everyone deserves access to high-quality, everyday essentials,” says Raphaelle Fleury, category marketing manager for First Quality. “Period poverty is something that affects people around the world every day, and we’re grateful to Moisson Montréal and Monthly Dignity for working to increase access to products and education here in Canada.”

According to the World Brand, an estimated 500 million people worldwide do not have access to period products and adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene, according to the World Bank.