Periods are a pain, in more ways than one. I bitch and moan for the duration of mine, I have severe cramps, and so many hormones race through my body that I wonder how my husband stays with me. But my periods would be so much worse if I couldn’t afford the sanitary products that help me go out and put my best foot forward every month. Ali Barter agrees, so she’s teamed up with an exciting new start-up Gift Box.
Gift Box is the brainchild of Aussie actress and entrepreneur Saskia Hamplele, who you may remember as Georgia Brooks on Neighbours. Her company is the world’s first one-for-one organic tampon brand. Whenever customers buy tampons through Gift Box, the organisation donates the same amount to the estimated 46,000 homeless women in Australia that struggle to access sanitary care through its partnerships with Share the Dignity, The Period Projects, and Essentials for Women.
So where does Ali Barter come in? She’s teamed up with Saskia to create a collaborative tea towel, featuring a design from illustrator and tattoo artist Lily Gloria, which you can find at her upcoming One Foot In shows. Money raised by the tea towel’s sales will benefit Gift Box.
“We all get our damn periods so I love that if I buy a box of tampons from Gift Box Organic, it means someone more in need than me gets one too. It’s important that all women have access to sanitary care, and tampons are, for many, non-negotiable,” Ali said.
“The mission of Gift Box has really been driven by a sisterhood of ‘women supporting women’, so to join forces with Ali Barter’s powerful voice has been very exciting,” added Saskia. “Ali’s generous contribution will not only provide many more homeless women with tampons, it also adds to the conversation of women’s lack of access to sanitary products and will help reach a wider audience for this commonly overlooked issue.”
You can see Ali and get the tea towel at the following shows. And if you’re not getting along to the gigs, you can still help out through the Gift Box website.
25 August 2017 – Workers Club, Geelong
1 September 2017 – Theatre Royal, Castlemaine
2 September 2017 – Republic Bar, Hobart
8 September 2017 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
9 September 2017 – Fat Controller, Adelaide
15 September 2017 – Player’s Bar, Mandurah
16 September 2017 – Rosemount Hotel, Perth
22 September 2017 – The Northern, Byron Bay
23 September 2017 – The Courier-Mail Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Brisbane
28 September 2017 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
29 September 2017 – The Small Ballroom, Newcastle
30 September 2017 – Stuart Park, Wollongong
1 October 2017 – Transit Bar, Canberra
Image used with permission from Inertia Music