Sheldon Hayes with her 15-month-old daughter Bridie Macartney. Photo / George Novak
Sheldon Hayes with her 15-month-old daughter Bridie Macartney. Photo / George Novak
A Tauranga woman is holding a fundraiser in hopes of helping women around the country cope with the monthly costs of periods without breaking the bank.
Stay-at-home mum Sheldon Hayes is organising The Good Fund Fill-A-Bag Tauranga fundraising event where people are invited to come along and pay the small entry fee to fill a bag of baby clothing to take home.
Raising funds to help alleviate period poverty throughout the country is the mission of the event, with all money raised going towards The Good Fund, which aimed to help women access reusable sanitary items.
Hayes' fundraiser is part of a national fundraising drive organised by The Good Fund that will see Fill-A-Bag fundraisers pop up around the country from Bay of Islands to Christchurch.
Price of sanitary products in Tauranga ranged between $1.47 and $8 at the time of writing.
Originally from Australia, Hayes moved with her partner to the sunny Bay of Plenty two years ago. She is currently a stay-at-home mum, looking after her 15-month-old daughter Bridie.
Hayes is no stranger to the pinch for period products.
Sheldon Hayes with her 15-month-old daughter Bridie Macartney. Photo / George Novak
She said she was raised by a hard-working single mother, but sometimes the cost of buying sanitary pads or tampons tipped the grocery bill over budget, meaning she would have her period without sanitary products.
"I remember going to school and having to use toilet paper because I didn't have any tampons or pads."
It was only when she began to learn more about period poverty and hear the stories of other women did she see the situation for what it was.
"I never noticed it - it was just normal."
She hoped that the event would encourage people to have those conversations that some might try to avoid.
"I think it's a huge problem but no one really talks about periods or menstruation. It's kind of like a hushed topic."
She was inspired to hold the event by Emily Holdaway, who runs parenting blog Raising Ziggy and is the co-founder of The Good Fund, an organisation working to improve access to reusable menstrual products.
Hayes thought a fundraiser would be a productive way to use her spare time in a way that would give back to the community, with her eventing being one of 15 being held around the country, from Bay of Islands to Christchurch, that had been organised by mothers in a similar situation to herself.
She expected about 100 to 200 people to turn out for the fundraiser and aside from a wealth of baby clothes on offer, she said there would be a raffle on the day.
She was still calling for clothing donations for the event - to donate, get in touch on the Facebook page.
Pak 'n Save Cameron Rd Cheapest - Value Overnight Pads with Wings - $1.79 for 10-pack Most expensive - U By Kotex Designs Regular Ultrathin Winged - $6.99 for 22-pack
The Warehouse Cheapest - Sence Sanitary Pads Normal No Wings - $1.47 for 10-pack Most expensive - U By Kotex Designs Regular Ultrathin Winged - $8 for 22-pack
Countdown Cheapest - Homebrand Regular Pads - $2 for 20-pack Most expensive - U By Kotex Designs Regular Ultrathin Winged - $7.50 for 22-pack
New World Brookfield Cheapest - Value Regular Pads with Wings - $1.99 for 20 for pack Most expensive - U By Kotex Designs Regular Ultrathin Winged - $7.69 for 22-pack
The Good Fund Fill-A-Bag Fundraiser - Tauranga June 23, 2pm to 4pm Arataki Community Centre Entry is $10 cash only, bags are provided Sizes from newborn to 3 years Go to the event page on Facebook for more information
