United Way Niagara is excited to announce that Meridian Credit Union has joined the 2023 Period Promise campaign as a presenting sponsor with a $10,000 donation. United Way will officially announce the partnership at the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce’s International Women’s Day Celebration on March 3. United Way will once again join the event to ask the community to consider donating period products to help end period poverty.

Inflation has affected so much of our spending in the last several years, and period products were not spared from it either. In 2019, roughly one in three, or 34 per cent, of women and girls in Canada had to often or occasionally make budgetary sacrifices in order to afford menstrual products. With the help of local leaders such as Meridian, Niagara can make strides towards improving this situation for people who menstruate, as period products should be a right – not a luxury.

“I think it’s fitting that the theme for International Women’s Day this year is ‘Embrace Equity’ because at the heart of the period poverty issue is inequity,” says United Way Niagara CEO Frances Hallworth. “We’re so glad that Meridian has joined this campaign to help us close the gap, because as prices continue to climb, more and more people are finding themselves deciding between period products and other essentials.” Despite the best efforts of United Way and many dedicated volunteers and donors, requests for period products always outnumber the quantity of products available for distribution. This substantial commitment from Meridian will ensure the official kick-off for the collection campaign in May will begin with a strong advantage.

Meridian has been a dedicated community builder in Niagara for many years, supporting United Way Niagara for several decades. Providing local support is a foundational part of Meridian’s identity.

“Meridian is committed to help provide all people and communities access to the resources they need, giving them the opportunity to thrive, participate and flourish,” said Shelley Dix, District Vice President, Meridian. “We are honoured to be working with United Way in this community-focused partnership and hope we can help make a meaningful impact for women and girls in Niagara.”

You can find a list of all the community drop-off locations throughout the campaign and more information about the initiative on the Period Promise website www.periodpromiseniagara.com

 About United Way

United Way works to tackle some of the biggest social issues in Niagara; investing in solutions to poverty, food security, mental illness, homelessness, domestic violence and social isolation. United Way supported more than 135 programs across the region last year, helping thousands of people when they needed it the most.

 About Meridian

We respectfully acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Peoples. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and is within the land protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Agreement. From coast to coast to coast, we acknowledge the ancestral and unceded territory of all the Inuit, Métis, and First Nations people across Turtle Island. With more than 75 years of banking history, Meridian is Ontario’s largest credit union, and second largest in Canada, helping to grow the lives of our more than 360,000 Members. Meridian has $29.5 billion in assets under management (September 30, 2022) and delivers a full range of financial services online, by phone, by mobile and through a network of 89 branches across Ontario, and business banking services in 15 locations. Meridian cardholders also have access to over 43,000 surcharge-free ABMs in North America with THE EXCHANGE® Network and the Allpoint Network in the US. For more information, please visit: meridiancu.ca, follow us on Twitter @MeridianCU or visit us on Facebook.