What happens when we treat period products like the essentials they are?
More people go to work. More people go to school. Families have one less essential expense to worry about. And millions of people have greater access to the period care they need.
Those are some of the outcomes emerging from Canada's Menstrual Equity Fund pilot — and they're worth celebrating.
Since 2023, the Government of Canada has invested $89.8 million in the Menstrual Equity Fund through Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), with the goal of addressing period poverty and advancing menstrual equity across the country.
The scale is significant: more than 124 million free menstrual products have been distributed through Food Banks Canada and its affiliated network.
But the number of products distributed only tells part of the story.
What 124 million period products can make possible
Period poverty isn't simply about not having a pad or tampon when you need one.
It's about what happens when you don't.
WAGE's research found that 1 in 6 Canadians who menstruate have personally experienced period poverty. Among households earning less than $40,000 per year, that rises to 1 in 4.
When period products aren't reliably available, people adapt. They may ration products, improvise with alternatives, miss school or work, or make difficult choices between period care and other necessities.
That's why one of the most important findings from the Menstrual Equity Fund isn't a distribution number at all.
Recipients reported missing fewer days of school and work because they had enough menstrual products.
That's the bigger story.
Access to period care supports people's ability to learn, work, participate and simply move through their day without having to plan around whether they can afford or find the products they need.
Period equity takes more than products
Providing products is critical. But creating lasting change also means challenging the stigma, misinformation and silence that continue to surround menstruation.
Through the Menstrual Equity Fund pilot, six menstrual equity organizations have helped develop and expand nearly 450 education and awareness resources, reaching approximately 70,000 people.
That matters because access and education work together.
You can put period products in more places — and we absolutely should. But menstrual equity also means creating environments where people can talk about periods without shame, understand their bodies, advocate for what they need and expect period care to be treated like any other basic necessity.
This is what investing in menstrual equity can do
At joni, menstrual equity has been part of our mission from the beginning and something we continually advocate for and commit to.
We believe everyone should be able to access period care with dignity, regardless of their income, geography or circumstances. Through our own period equity commitments, we work to help expand access to essential period care and support the broader movement working to dismantle the barriers and stigma surrounding menstruation.
That's why the results of the Menstrual Equity Fund matter to us.
They demonstrate something we've long believed: when we invest in menstrual equity, we're investing in people's ability to participate.
In school.
At work.
In their communities.
In everyday life.
We're grateful to Women and Gender Equality Canada, Food Banks Canada, The Mississauga Food Bank, and the many menstrual equity organizations, food banks, community organizations and advocates across Canada doing the work to make period care more accessible.
More than 124 million products distributed is an extraordinary milestone.
But perhaps the most important measure of progress is what those products allowed people to do.
Show up. Participate. And manage their periods with dignity.
That's what menstrual equity looks like in action.