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Local Share the Dignity member Michele Uebergang said this year's response had not been as big as previous years.

“Any Woolworths in the Campaspe area will have the pink boxes in them,” she said.

“We’re halfway through the campaign, and we’re noticing we’re not getting as much as normal ... it may be a sign of the times.

“If people are able to donate in the last two weeks, we’d be very grateful.”

The campaign aims to help end period poverty by providing menstrual products to women escaping violent homes, struggling with homelessness or poverty and other tough situations.

In 2024, over 413,000 donations were made during the March drive, more than doubling the original amount raised during the very first campaign in 2015.

Every year, the local Share the Dignity committee runs the Dignity Drive in March and August.

All donations made locally remain local and are donated to local charities including Crossenvale, Anglicare, Neighbourhood House, Echuca Hospital and more.

Ms Uebergang emphasised the importance of the drive for local women and those around Australia.

“Menstrual poverty is a real issue,” she said.

“We hear about girls not going to school and ... people going to laundromats and finding old socks to use ... when you haven’t got a lot of money and you need to feed children, these are the things they do.

“It’s really sad, it’s not hygienic and it’s something all women can relate to.”

According to Share the Dignity, 64 per cent of menstruators have struggled to afford period products due to cost, and the number increases for women in certain communities.

Around 21.75 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were unable to afford period products in the past 12 months, in comparison to 6.9 per cent of non-Indigenous people.

In comparison to 2021 data, it was also noted that more students in TAFE and universities were improvising on period products.

The Dignity Drive will officially finish on Monday, March 31.