Free. Period.

Have you heard the term “period poverty?” It refers to the inability to access menstrual products, which impacts the health and dignity of people who menstruate, especially vulnerable people and youth. Not having access to period products can impact Calgarians in the classroom, the workplace, and everyday life.

The Free. Period. initiative provides free pads and tampons to anyone who needs them by making them available in Library washrooms—with no stigma or judgment.

In close proximity to schools, workplaces, community centres and shelters, libraries are accessible across the city and welcoming to all. They are the ideal locations for this initiative. Period.

Free. Period. is supported generously by Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health and donors to Calgary Public Library Foundation.

The need

• Canadian menstruators spend up to $6,000 in their lifetime on menstrual hygiene products.
• One in four Canadian women who menstruate have been forced to decide between purchasing menstrual products or essentials, like food or rent, within the last year.
• Almost 90% of Canadian women aged 18 to 24 feel menstrual products are too expensive.

A donation of $31.50 fills a dispenser with one day’s worth of products. Thanks to donor support, this program is now available at all Library locations in Calgary (excluding Rocky Ridge Library). In 2024, 83,250 units of product were taken from dispensers in Library restrooms.