Windsor students collecting feminine hygiene products for the homeless

Homeless women face an extra burden when living on the street.

The Downtown Mission, along with the School of Social Work at the University of Windsor, sold baked goods and collected money and feminine hygiene products for vulnerable women and girls during a special event Thursday.

• Downtown Mission executive director spending 24 hours on the street
• Reusable menstrual cups a valuable gift for Windsor's homeless

The Go with the Flow campaign aims to get enough donations to create kits filled with panty liners, pads, tampons, sanitary wipes and info sheets with facts about female health issues.

"People come in and they ask us for a tampon and we don't have it," said Adrienne Payne, the health care navigator with the Downtown mission.

Some women may ask for a pad, but the mission may not have underwear to give them. The constant need raised the issue of the high-cost of feminine hygiene products. Outside of donated items, staff will often give what they have on their person or refer the clients to Street Health, said Payne. 

"If we don't have any, we don't have any," she said. "Which is unfortunate, so we're trying to prevent that from happening."

This is the first event of its kind for the Downtown Mission. It's something they hope will raise awareness about the monthly need and high price tag it presents for women.

"It's a basic necessity that's needed and will hopefully prevent some health issues as well," Payne explained.

The bake sale was part of fourth-year social work student Katie Regnier's course requirement. She liked the idea of giving back and was excited to raise funds for homeless women.

"I really want people to understand bleeding once a month is not something that people ask for," she said. "Having feminine hygiene products available is not a luxury it's a necessity."