Huron County Director of Cultural Services Says Period Poverty Program Will Continue

by Bob Montgomery

Huron County's Director of Cultural Services says the Period Poverty Program has been very popular and will continue in Huron County libraries.

The Period Poverty Program started as a pilot project in 2023 offering free menstrual products to the public. The 2023 library budget included $1000 to fund this pilot but Beth Rumble says the program is essentially funded through the donation of products and the only cost to them is the containers to hold the menstrual products. The group is now comprised of libraries and women’s shelters from Huron and Perth, Avon Maitland District School Board, local community food centres, as well as United Way Perth Huron. Once word got out that the products were available in local libraries, members of the general public started donating products. What was a pilot project has been so well received that they will continue to offer the service in local libraries.