Break the Stigma, End Period Poverty.

Millions of Canadians lack access to essential period products.
The Period Purse™ is changing that.

Period poverty exists in every community in Canada

Access to period products is a basic human right, but not everyone has the resources they need to manage their periods safely and with dignity. Shame, stigma and a lack of education compound this pressing issue affecting every Canadian community.

1 in 5 people who menstruate in Canada struggle to afford menstrual products
(Plan Canada, 2022).

Menstrual Equity means everyone has access to the needed resources to manage their period.

This means affording period products, having access to them, and being able to
choose the type of product you need and want.

How we’re ending period poverty in Canada

Our work is simple: to provide period products to those most in need.
But our work doesn’t stop there.

EDUCATION

We provide inclusive, quality education and training to all ages and all genders to build confidence and reduce stigma.

ADVOCACY

A key part to menstrual equity is raising awareness around menstruation and advocating for policy change at all levels of government.

OUTREACH

Through our network of community partners, we supply thousands of menstruators each month with free menstrual products.

Our Impact

5 million+ products donated
6,000+ people educated about healthy periods
52 cities have proclaimed May 28 as Menstrual Health Day (2024)
70 monuments lit up red on May 28, 2024

A dream of one purse was just the beginning...

What started as one purse filled with period products in 2017 has now grown to Canada's first registered menstrual equity charity.

Each month The Period Purse™ supports thousands of menstruators by supplying free period products through a network of frontline community partners and provides inclusive menstrual education and training in schools, community organizations and workplaces.

Through our advocacy, we have raised awareness of period poverty as a critical social issue, influencing policy changes at all levels of government while breaking down stigma and period taboos.

Our vision is for menstruation to be understood and treated with dignity, and for period products to be free for all.


Join us in the movement for menstrual equity

Together we can strive towards a place where no one has to choose between their dignity and their period.

DONATE MONEY

Support healthy periods with a monthly or one-time donation

LEARN MORE

DONATE PRODUCTS

Find a drop-off location to donate period products near you

LEARN MORE

GET INVOLVED

Collect period products or volunteer in the GTA
 

LEARN MORE

Subscribe to our email newsletter

Get monthly updates on news and events, advocacy and how you can get involved.

Thank you to our sponsors

Parkdale High Park Rotary | The Period Purse Sponsor
Toronto Foundation | The Period Purse Sponsor
Women and Gender Equality Canada | The Period Purse Sponsor
Period Aisle | The Period Purse Sponsor
The Canadian Tilling Foundation | The Period Purse Sponsor

We respectfully acknowledge the land we live and work on is the traditional territory of many nations including the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabewaki, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Mississauga, and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit.