Charity support services specialist, Mosaic Fulfilment Solutions (MFS), is proud to have distributed 129,000 feminine hygiene products to seven charities across the York and Leeds area in a donation made possible by the generosity of international charity WaterAid.
The donation aligned with this year’s Menstrual Hygiene Day in May which aimed to end the stigma surrounding menstruation and raise awareness about the challenges regarding access to menstrual products. With research by WaterAid in 2022 revealing that 1 in 5 women and girls were dependent on free sanitary products, the donation will help those most in need get access to these essentials.
Based in York, MFS offers fulfilment and automated customer response solutions for eCommerce brands and charities located throughout the UK. MFS has worked alongside WaterAid since 2016 – supporting the charity, which advocates for water, toilets and hygiene as a human right that should be a normal part of daily life for everyone, everywhere.
WaterAid’s donation of feminine hygiene products, which was distributed by MFS staff volunteering their time, saw the following Leeds and York-based charities benefiting from a share of nearly 68,000 tampons, 45,000 sanitary pads and just over 16,000 underwear liners:
Garforth and District Lions: Will distribute to local foodbanks and community groups and send to Ukrainian refuges across the UK, as well as to other Lions clubs to assist with their local foodbanks (there are 350 Lions clubs across the UK).
- The Hygiene Bank York: Will distribute to five local community groups including food banks and hostels, and five local schools.
- The Island: Will distribute at its foodbank for families in need and use within its youth community groups.
- St George’s Crypt: Will be using the products at the Crypt – its emergency care centre in the centre of Leeds, and its new service, Growing Rooms for ladies at Don Robins House in Armley which is an addiction recovery programme for women.
- York Foodbank: Will be used within its parcels for women in need.
- Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS): Will help women who are fleeing from domestic violence.
- RAY (Refugee Action York): Will assist refugees and asylum seekers in need.
Scott Gray, chief commercial officer at MFS said, “This donation will have a positive impact on the important work of seven local charities, who strive to make a real difference to people in the York and Leeds area. We also hope that by sharing this story we can encourage others to think about these kinds of products when next donating to their local foodbanks and charities.
“Everyone at MFS would like to thank WaterAid for its generous supply of these products that are often overlooked in discussions around the cost-of-living crisis. We’re proud to be playing a small part in the bigger picture of tackling the stigma around period-poverty and raising awareness of the issue.”
Nicholas Spandagos, Senior Individual Giving Manager at WaterAid UK said,
“At WaterAid we work to help lift the physical, social and emotional barriers that prevent people who menstruate to achieve their full potential. Through our pilot project, Fempowered, we enhanced our work with local communities while at the same time helping increase awareness of period-poverty among the UK public.
“We’re delighted that our Fempowered products have now found a home with these incredible local charities and will go to those most in need. We will continue to work tirelessly with vulnerable communities around the world to ensure that everyone who menstruates can manage their periods safely hygienically and with dignity.”
