Morrisons is helping tackle period poverty by offering a new discreet service that will allow customers to gain access to free sanitary products.
The new initiative will be rolled out in all 497 of its stores after an employee came up with the idea to help vulnerable customers.
Customers in need can now go to any Morrisons customer service desk nationwide and ask for a package for 'Sandy' or a 'period product pack'.
The customers will then be given a free discreet envelope with sanitary products and no questions asked.
The package is made up of a brown paper bag with two single sanitary towels.
The ‘Package for Sandy’ initiative was created and launched by Community Champion, Emma Parkinson, who saw the need for the service in her local area.
The initiative is now being rolled out nationwide across all Morrisons stores in the UK in a bid to beat period poverty.
On Tuesday 24 November 2020, Scotland made sanitary products free to all who need them, becoming the first country in the world to do so.
The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill was introduced in April 2019 by Scottish Labour's health spokeswoman Monica Lennon MSP with the aim of tackling "period poverty", which is when some people who need period products struggle to afford them.
However, the new Morrisons scheme means that free products will now be available in your local supermarket too.
Emma Parkinson, Community Champion at Morrisons Bolton Atlas, said:
"Period poverty is a real problem and going to a school in a predominantly low-income area gave me an insight into what it’s like to have no access to sanitary wear.
"It’s shocking that young girls and women go without sanitary products through no fault of their own so I’m really pleased that we at Morrisons can help to support those in need across the whole of the UK.”
Following the success of the recent Buy One Donate One campaign on sanitary products, Morrisons is also donating 125,000 sanitary products which will be distributed to local charities by community champions nationwide.
For more information visit www.morrisons.co.uk.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here