More than a year ago, Renelle Robinson put a call out for feminine hygiene product donations.
The next morning, she had email transfers and products being dropped off at the Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board (CDSSAB) office. There's been a constant flow of support since.
This week, Robinson's grassroots initiative — PAD (Protection and Dignity) Patrol — is working with the United Way Centraide North East Ontario for Tampon Tuesday. All the donations will be distributed to women across the region.
PAD Patrol took shape in November 2018.
A client stopped by CDSSAB, where Robinson works, asking if they had extra sanitary napkins or money to buy items.
There wasn't an official program, so the women in the office gathered their products for the client.
What happened, explained Robinson, is that the client had budgeted $5 for no-name brand hygiene products and gave the money to her daughter so she could be included in a school meal.
“Had she not had that $5 then the kid wouldn’t have had that special meal at school and that would have singled her out, so her mom gave her the $5," recalled Robinson.
When Robinson went home that night, the situation was still on her mind.
“I put a shout out on Facebook and the next day I had money in my account, email transfers, I had products when I came to work,” she said.
Since she started tracking the items, she said 40,000 products have been distributed throughout the region.
Mostly, they go out through DSSAB sites in Timmins, Moosonee, Kapuskasing, Cochrane, and Iroquois Falls, but she'll work with whoever needs them.
“Moosonee is a big one, the costs over there are just ridiculous,” she said.
The community has been supportive of the initiative.
When staff at the Shoppers Drug Mart at Highway 655 and Algonquin noticed the big product orders she had, they reached out for more details. Robinson said the location now offers a discount for items being bought for PAD Patrol.
Throughout the year, donations can be dropped off at the CDSSAB office next to McDonald's on Algonquin Boulevard.
"Lemongrass is awesome to us and she accepts donations for us all the time and if anybody else wants to be a donor site that would be great as well, or if they have any other ideas about fundraising...I’d be all ears,” she said.
The donations from Tampon Tuesday in Timmins March 10 will be distributed by PAD Patrol, as well.
Robinson is excited for it, noting it's generated a lot of interest in the community.
The event is being held at Full Beard Brewery from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Entrance is a box of menstrual hygiene products or a cash donation. Broker Pamela Laplante Broker and sales representative Pam Mavrinac from Royal Lepage Northern Realty Leaders Brokerage have stepped up to sponsor the event, and pizza and snacks will be provided.
While Robinson is comfortable with the size of PAD Patrol right now, she's open to new ideas.
"If this reaches, let’s say Fort Albany reads this article and they think we could...use it. By all means, reach out and I’ll see what I can do,” she said.
She is also working to incorporate to be able to give out receipts.
You can stay up-to-date with PAD Patrol initiatives on Facebook.
For more information, email [email protected] or call 705-262-2114.
