Indigenous·NewMoon Time Connections, a national Indigenous-led menstrual equity organization, began in Saskatchewan in 2017. Moon Time Connections, a national Indigenous-led menstrual equity organization, began in Saskatchewan in 2017Louise BigEagle · CBC News · Posted: Oct 23, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 17 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesNicole White with volunteers at a Moon Time Connections product drive. (Submitted by Moon Time Connections)When Nicole White learned some girls miss school due to not having access to menstrual products, she knew she had to do something.White, who is Métis and lives in Saskatoon, founded Moon Time Sisters in 2017 to send menstrual products to northern Saskatchewan communities.Now called Moon Time Connections, it’s grown to become a national Indigenous-led menstrual equity organization. Every October, it holds a donation drive in Saskatchewan to collect products that will be sent to Indigenous communities.Moon Time Connections sends menstrual products to Northern Indigenous communities all over Canada. (Submitted by Moon Time Connections)White said period products can expensive in northern communities compared to those in southern cities.“If you are a family who is navigating a tight budget, these products are absolutely a luxury item,” said White.White said they provide single-use and reusable menstrual products — like tampons, pads, underwear, menstrual cups and discs.“Every person’s experience around menstruation is very personal and very different and changes through their lifetime, so we really want to meet people where they’re at and meet their needs,” said White.Moon Time Connections has three public collection points in Regina and others in Saskatoon. Once the donation drive is complete, there will be packing parties where volunteers count the products, pack and customize shipments for each community.“Each community gets to ask for what kind of products they want, so every box is custom ordered by that community,” said White.White said Moon Time Connections uses every dollar raised toward products or shipping costs.Rachel Merasty is a teacher at Reindeer Lake School in Southend. She gives students in need of menstrual products a kit to keep in their lockers or to take home. (Submitted by Rachel Merasty)Rachel Merasty, a teacher at Reindeer Lake School in Southend, a Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation community 500 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, said last year they received four pallets of menstrual products and they give out products to 300 people each year.Merasty said products in the community can cost over $12 for a small pack of pads.“The product does get out there and it does make a big impact and it does hit a lot of people in all the age groups,” Merasty said.“Sometimes it’s choosing between the pads and buying food.”Merasty said in the school they keep products in a locker.”If they don’t want to tell anybody because a lot of girls are shy about that, they just go to the locker discreetly and take what they need,” said Merasty.Merasty said she has taken facilitator training through Moon Time Connections so she can teach different age groups about menstruation, endometriosis, perimenopause and menopause.“A lot of people have been shamed about it and it’s still a taboo subject in some places and just to remove that stigma to make girls feel comfortable about it,” said Merasty.ABOUT THE AUTHORLouise has been a journalist with CBC since September 2022. She is Nakota/Cree from Ocean Man First Nation. She holds a bachelor of fine arts from the University of Regina. Louise can be reached at louise.bigeagle@cbc.ca.
Annual campaign aims to send menstrual products to northern Sask. communities
