October 6, 2016 3.45 pm This story is over 88 months old

New project to supply sanitary products for homeless women in Lincoln

A group of Lincoln volunteers have joined a country-wide campaign to help provide homeless women with sanitary items. The ‘Homeless Period Lincoln’ is a volunteer led project providing homeless and vulnerable women in the city with sanitary items, such as wipes, tampons and underwear. A Facebook page has been launched and a drop-off point has been…

A group of Lincoln volunteers have joined a country-wide campaign to help provide homeless women with sanitary items.

The ‘Homeless Period Lincoln’ is a volunteer led project providing homeless and vulnerable women in the city with sanitary items, such as wipes, tampons and underwear.

A Facebook page has been launched and a drop-off point has been set up in Lincoln.

Donations can be handed in at the Angel Coffee House on Free School Lane.

Donations can be handed in at the Angel Coffee House on Free School Way.

Plans for a second-drop off point at the University of Lincoln are also underway.

The group are collecting donations of wipes, underwear and sanitary items so they can produce female care packages which can be delivered to various projects and shelters across Lincoln.

Kimberli Purdy, 31, who has a family in the city, brought the project to Lincoln after being unable to find a place to donate her sanitary items when she fell pregnant.

She said: “Periods are not a great time of the month for any woman, but for homeless women with limited access to ‘luxury’ sanitary items, it is such a humiliating time, and because of the taboo nature of the topic it’s one that doesn’t often cross our mind.

“Some women are forced to use ripped up cloths or toilet roll from public toilets, or make a few tampons last the entire length of their period. It’s so sad to see.

“This can lead to infections, and so it isn’t just the emotional impact – it’s also really dangerous.

“This is why I decided to bring the Homeless Period project to Lincoln, to supply the women in our local community with the items they struggle to get hold of all the year around.”