Last month, Sandra Prebble along with Lori Johnston, Sarah Stark, Nicola Watson and Serra Stewart made the first donation of the Care Group.
They presented Northern Southland College year 12 and 13 female pupils with two pairs of period-proof underwear which was created to be a more sustainable product than disposable, single-use tampons or pads.
Mrs Prebble said the idea came when she learned more about the product and she thought there were many women across the region who did not have access to it.
"I just thought as an experiment the cost could be too high for a lot of people so I thought that it would rule out quite a lot of people.
Mrs Prebble had been part of many women’s groups but she wanted to be more active within the community.
When visitors used to use her holiday home, she always asked them to donate to a charity as a way to give back. Recently, she had asked people to donate to the project and she raised about $500 and worked with the AWWA brand to ensure every girl at the school got the donation.
She was excited with the response.
"All of the year 12 and 13 girls were offered the opportunity and I believe that every one of them took up that opportunity and put their name down."
After the first donation, she hoped to expand the project to other schools across the region and work with GPs in the area.
"We could continue to work with other schools, or through women’s groups.
"I just think that if we can encourage these young women to use sustainable products at this early stage in their life, the effect over their lives is huge."
