More than 30,000 boxes of period products are being donated to our community partners thanks to our new partnership with East of England Co-op.
Our new partnership with the retailer sees our environmentally-friendly period products stocked in employee bathrooms at all its stores and branches across Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire and its head office in Ipswich.
Every purchase made through the partnership will be matched with a donation to our community partners in the fight against period poverty.
Andy Rigby, Chief Operating Officer for the East of England Co-op, said: “More than 50% of our team here at the East of England Co-op are female and it’s incredibly important to us that we do what we can to support our colleagues.
“We’re proud to be working with Hey Girls, not only to provide free period products for our teams but also for our local communities.
“Through Hey Girls’ ‘buy one, donate one’ model, every purchase made by us is matched with a donation to organisations such as food banks, homeless shelters and refuges.
“This is a really important step for our co-op and we’ll continue to look for more ways that we can do the right thing for our colleagues and our communities.”
Daisy Williams, our Partnerships and Contracts Manager, added: “We are thrilled to see the East of England Co-op join the wave of retail businesses introducing period dignity schemes for their staff.
“Having access to free period products can be the difference between a normal day at work and the worst day of your career – and costs nowhere near what you would think.
“Partnerships like this bring us one step closer to improving period dignity and eradicating UK period poverty – so it is brilliant to have such a big local name on side.”
Local community partners to benefit include Inspire, Diss Community Fridge and 3Food4U.
Inspire
Inspire is a Suffolk charity empowering young people to achieve a better future.
Danielle Wright, Centre Manager at Inspire, said: “I am extremely grateful for the incredible partnership we have with Hey Girls.
“By having Hey Girls in every bathroom, we can make sure everyone can focus on learning, playing, and simply being themselves, without worry.
“The tampons and pads are always ready to save the day, and the reusable products are perfect as a longer-term solution for our students.
“Through their community partnership scheme, we’re not just providing period products to those that need them – we’re nurturing a community where everyone can thrive.”
Diss Community Fridge
Located near to our Diss distribution centre, Diss Community Fridge helps tackle both food waste and poverty in the town.
Stephanie Hoyle, Volunteer at the Diss Community Fridge, said: “All of us at the Community Fridge for Diss are so very grateful to Hey Girls for their continued support.
“Their period products help many of our visitors who are struggling with the cost of living.
“These additional donations will be a real benefit to those in need.”
3Food4U
3Food4U is a frontline agency in Essex and north London offering free groceries, clothing and essentials to anyone who needs their help.
Pesh Kapasiawala, Chair of Trustees at 3Food4U, said: “We’re proud and very grateful to be working with Hey Girls to provide free unlimited period products to everyone that needs them in our community.
“We were overwhelmed and couldn’t meet demand before our partnership.
“The extra donations from East of England Co-op will be game changing for us in our unconditional, non-judgmental support of the community.”
More information on Hey Girls and how to stock Hey Girls products in your staff washrooms and support our fight against period poverty can be found here.
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