Volunteers fight period poverty in city
A group of volunteers are creating packs to tackle period poverty.
The Homeless Period Wolverhampton collects and distributes feminine hygiene products for all women and girls who struggle to cover the costs of sanitary products.
The charity was launched in January 2018 by Clare Roberts-Malloy who was inspired by the work she saw from other not-for-profit organisations across the country.
She wanted to make a change after discovering there was no provision for period poverty in Wolverhampton.
The Homeless Period is working alongside Birmingham City University to create a study into the extent of the issue of period poverty locally.
Clare said: "There are no exact figures for period poverty in Wolverhampton but we know it exists because of the demand we have for our service.
"It's not just younger people, it's much wider than that. Sometimes it can be low income families who have a few daughters that are struggling.
"We support anyone including homeless people, students and organisations around Wolverhampton like The Haven and Wolverhampton Food Bank."
The group of volunteers meet a few times a year for period packing sessions at the charity's new home at The Boot Factory, Wolverhampton.
They use the items that have been donated to create trays of period packs, containing sanitary pads, tampons, toiletries and underwear, which are sent out to various places across the city.
Sofia Saffery, aged 11 who volunteers at The Homeless Period, said: "It feels good to help out the people who are struggling and it's nice to spend time with the other volunteers and meet different people.
"I've been helping out since it started, I really enjoy helping different charities."
As well as the regular packing sessions, before Christmas they hold a themed event where they create festive period packs which are given to the homeless.
Clare and the team encourage anyone to get involved with the charity and welcome new members.
She added: "Since we became official in July 2018 we just grew and grew and we've been really fortunate to receive a lot of support from people in Wolverhampton and even from other areas of the Black Country.
"The support and generosity that we have received is incredible."
