Code Red. Free. Period.

You would never expect to have to bring your own toilet paper or hand soap to a bathroom- you should not need to bring pads or tampons, either!

Thanks to the generous support of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Alberta, Shortgrass member libraries in standalone facilities are able to provide free menstrual products to the public!

The Code Red project will provide free menstrual products, product dispensers, and educational information about menstruation and reproductive health, to six libraries in the Shortgrass Library System.

Why is this such an important initiative? Well, to sum it up:

• The average menstruator will spend over $6,000 on menstrual products over the course of their lifetime.
• 23% of menstruators have struggled to afford period products.
• More than half of all menstruators have had to miss school, work, or a social event because of their period.

(Canadian Public Health Association ; Plan Canada)

By having these products freely available in public library washrooms, Shortgrass Library System is working to combat period poverty and ensure that no one is ever forced to choose between buying groceries and period products.

In addition to providing these free pads and tampons in library washrooms, the Code Red project also aims to increase awareness of this issue, and to encourage the community to learn more about menstrual equity. If you are interested in learning more about reproductive health, menstruation, and period poverty, check out our Code Red collection!

You can also learn more about the work to combat period inequality globally, at the following links:

• Our Code Red booklist- titles available at your library!
• Plan International Canada: Let's Talk Periods
• The Period Project
• The Alberta Government: Challenging Period Stigma and Ending Period Poverty
• Aunt Flow (our fabulous vendor)

Read about the project in The Toronto Star, The Medicine Hat News, and The Bow Island Commentator.

Want to share your feedback? We'd love to hear from you! Leave us your feedback in the below form.

• Bassano Memorial Library
• Bow Island Municipal Library
• Gem Jubilee Library
• Irvine Community Library
• Medicine Hat Public Library
• Redcliff Public Library