First Quality tackles period poverty in partnership with Moisson Montréal and Monthly Dignity
20,000 donated pads make their way from First Quality to the community
MONTRÉAL (Sep. 11, 2024) - Menstrual care is a basic need of women around the globe, yet an estimated 500 million people worldwide do not have access to period products and adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene, according to the World Bank.
Lacking access to menstrual products and hygiene facilities creates what’s known as period poverty, which is exacerbated by a shortage of education and pervasive stigmas regarding menstruation.
Menstrual care product manufacturer First Quality®, the maker of Incognito® pads and liners, is tackling period poverty at the local level through the power of partnership. Since 2019, the company has donated more than 1 million products to Moisson Montréal. Moisson Montréal is not only Canada’s largest foodbank; it also provides other essential personal care items to community organizations across the island.
One of those organizations is Monthly Dignity, which is working to address the causes and consequences of period poverty in Montréal by providing free menstrual products, in addition to education and advocacy efforts.
“By woking together, it really allows us to get more donations and to target many more beneficiaries on a large scale in Montréal,” said Carolanne Cyr, business development representative with Moisson Montréal.
A shared commitment to quality
The donated pads are manufactured at First Quality’s Fempro facility in Drummondville, Quebec. They are shipped directly to Moisson Montréal, where they are repacked into smaller boxes that are easier to redistribute to organizations such as Monthly Dignity. From Monthly Dignity, the pads are distributed to youth programs, women’s shelters and other community groups.
“Everybody needs to feel comfortable functioning in their daily lives, with their basic needs met,” said Hayley Newman-Petryshen, co-director at Monthly Dignity. “Being able to offer a product of good quality, that is safe, to people who are already in many instances feeling unsafe, that’s huge.”
For First Quality, the partnership reflects the company’s foundational belief that raising the quality of a product can raise someone’s quality of life.
“We believe that everyone deserves access to high-quality, everyday essentials,” said Raphaelle Fleury, category marketing manager for First Quality. “Period poverty is something that affects people around the world every day, and we’re grateful to Moisson Montréal and Monthly Dignity for working to increase access to products and education here in Canada.”
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About First Quality
The First Quality family of companies is a closely held, diversified group of companies manufacturing, selling and distributing branded and private label absorbent hygiene, paper and packaging products into healthcare, retail and commercial channels. First Quality is dedicated to meeting the demands of the market by providing innovative and high-quality products manufactured utilizing state-of-the-art technology.
First Quality acquired the Drummondville, Quebec, facility in 2015. Known locally as Fempro, the facility employs more than 190 team members who manufacture menstrual care products including Incognito pads and liners.
For more information, please visit www.firstquality.com
First Quality is a registered trademark of First Quality Enterprises, LLC.
About Moisson Montréal
Moisson Montréal is a registered charity founded in 1984 and the largest food bank in Canada. Its mission is to provide an optimal food supply and basic products to community organizations serving vulnerable people on the Island of Montreal while participating in the development of sustainable solutions. Thanks to the generosity of volunteers and food donors, Moisson Montréal benefits from an extraordinary leverage effect: for each dollar donated the organization redistributes more than $15 worth of food. Moisson Montréal provides 18 million kg of food per year to the greater community network, including more than 300 community agencies on the Island of Montreal that respond to more than 900,000 monthly requests for food assistance. Learn more at moissonmontreal.org.
About Monthly Dignity
Monthly Dignity is a non-profit organization working to address the causes and consequences of period poverty in Montréal by providing free menstrual products, offering menstrual health education, and advocating for menstrual equity. Learn more at monthlydignity.com
Media Contacts:
First Quality: media@firstquality.com