Supermarket chain dedicates a month to Period Place charity

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Countdown Gisborne and its supply partners are getting behind efforts by charity The Period Place to level up discussion around periods, and donate products, with an appeal running until September 23.

The Period Place supports Gisborne’s Tūranga Health, among others, providing donations of period education and period products to distribute to the local community.

The appeal sees a donation of five cents from the sale of every period product from U By Kotex, Libra, Carefree, Stayfree, Tampax, Oi Organic, Tom Organic, Bonds, Vagisil,  Femfresh, Evamay and Essentials go to The Period Place, with the same suppliers also dipping in by donating a single period product (e.g. tampon, pad, cup, underwear or liner) for every pack sold.

Countdown will also top up the charity with a one-off $20,000 cash donation.

“Now I just need bloody legends in Gisborne to do their shop as normal,” says Danika Revell, co-founder of The Period Place.

She says  that Kiwis young and old are still not having the conversations around periods that they need to, and in turn some people aren’t accessing what they need.

When Countdown approached her about support, she saw first the power of having her period chat messaging front and centre at its supermarkets up and down the country, while also being able to provide the multi-faceted help she offers “on the daily” to individuals, social services and food banks.

“Starting conversations around periods is high on my agenda, alongside facilitating products to those who face barriers accessing them. This appeal will achieve both.

“Countdown has been progressive in removing the ‘bad blood’ around period chat.

“First by having the word ‘period’ in every Countdown in the country and now dedicating a month to the cause.”

Countdown was the first supermarket in the world to change terminology from “sanitary products” and “personal hygiene” to “period care” in 2020 to normalise the language around periods.

Ms Revell says every person in Gisborne has a part to play.

“Whether you’re starting more conversations about periods, or can purchase your period products from Countdown over this appeal to help people who face barriers accessing them, it all helps our mahi.”

She says toilet paper is available in every bathroom outside the home, but disposable period products aren’t.

Society accepts bodily functions happen, and accepts that outside the home, the cost of taking care of those bodily functions in a safe and hygienic way is shared by everyone in society.

Workplaces have toilet paper, and so do cafes and restaurants, public toilets and portaloos, says Ms Revell.

“It makes sense that every bathroom outside the home has pads and tampons available, just like it does toilet paper.”

The four-week campaign is running in Countdown Gisborne and across the country until September 23.