Thursday, 30 July 2020: This August, Woolworths and Share the Dignity are partnering in a Dignity Drive that will provide essential support to the growing number of Australian women experiencing period poverty as a result of COVID-19.
The impact of COVID-19 has meant that even more women are having to make the choice between buying food or sanitary items, with Share the Dignity reporting a 54% increase in charities registering for the August Dignity Drive, when compared to their last drive in March this year.
The August Dignity Drive will run across all Woolworths Supermarkets and Metro stores nationally, giving customers the opportunity to donate sanitary items via collection boxes. These will then be distributed to girls and women who cannot afford to buy sanitary items.
In addition, Woolworths will donate five cents from the sale of pads, tampons and liners in August to Share the Dignity, to help the charity fund more dignity vending machines that dispense free sanitary items to women experiencing homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, or are facing difficult circumstances.
Rochelle Courtenay, Founder of Share the Dignity, said: "COVID-19 has had a massive impact across Australia and it scares me to think of the increase in poverty that this pandemic will bring. As a result, more women and girls are not going to be able to afford basic essentials and will have to resort to toilet paper, socks or washers to deal with their period.
"I encourage every Australian to get out and support our August Dignity Drive by buying their sanitary items at Woolworths or donating products in our collection boxes. We will need to collect more items than we've done before to help meet the increased requests for support we are now seeing in communities across the Country."
Woolworths has partnered with Share the Dignity since early 2019 and has so far raised in partnership with customers more than $1.3million for the charity. Funds raised are being used for the installation of 80 dignity vending machines across Australia. This month will mark the Supermarkets third time supporting a Dignity Drive, with the last one in March collecting over 43,000 sanitary items for women in need.
Claire Peters, Managing Director, Woolworths Supermarkets, said: "We are incredibly proud to be partnering with Share the Dignity for our third Dignity Drive. Now more than ever the charity needs our support to meet the needs of the growing number of Australian women experiencing period poverty.
"We will be donating five cents from the sale of every sanitary item to Share the Dignity and for those customers in a position to help, we're encouraging them to donate sanitary items at the collection box in their local Woolworths store. This small act of kindness will go a long way to helping thousands of women in need."
