Period Pin

Today we’re talking to Karen Farley, co-founder of Period Pin (www.periodpin.ca), a website helping menstruators find free period products near them.

LTP: How did the idea of period pin come about?

KF: I was completing my Master’s in Sustainability Management at the University of Waterloo, and I completed a research project on sustainable menstruation. As an entrepreneur, I am interested in finding where the gaps are. I realized there are many barriers to accessing menstrual products in Canada, so my partner and I started Period Pin on Menstrual Health Day, May 28, 2023. There was a funding opportunity in the Waterloo region for a pilot project, and once we obtained it, we started reaching out to local government, community organizations and businesses in the region.

LTP: So, how does it work?

KF: Speaking to menstrual equity groups, one of the major barriers is menstruators not knowing where products are available, so, we have created an online map to show where free products are offered. Once we hear about a site offering free products, we reach out to them to ask if it is ok if we publicize it, and if so, we add it to the map. If a site is limited to only certain hours or certain demographics (i.e. a youth centre), we publicize those details as well.

LTP: How is it going so far?

KF: The response from the community has been amazing. We have around 260 locations of free period products on the map so far and we’re now growing across Ontario from Windsor to Thunder Bay to Kingston. Libraries and universities seem to be amongst the leaders in this, however, there are many “period deserts” – areas where there are no or limited supplies of period products. Smaller organizations often find it a challenge to offer free products due to funding. There are also other challenges as well, for example, finding longer-term access to products for unhoused people and others making tough choices between buying food and tampons or pads every month.

LTP: Is this your full-time job?

KF: No, unfortunately, funding is limited for this kind of initiative. I have other employment, and will continue to work on this on the side, as well as continue to “unpack” other inequities in the menstrual space. In fact, I have a chapter coming out soon about sustainable menstruation and public policy in Canada based on the research that got this passion started.

LTP: If someone wants to contact you about a site offering free period products how do they do that?

KF: They can email us at [email protected]. We are also on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Remember, we’ll only add the location to the map with their permission.

LTP: Thank you so much for reaching out to us and allowing us to share your story and website with our readers!