Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Elesia Glover.
Dr. Elesia Glover spent much of 2018 thinking about “period poverty” and the lack of access for socioeconomically challenged parents who couldn’t provide feminine hygiene products for their daughters. She thought about all the girls who stayed home from school because they didn’t have access to what they needed. She thought about how challenging it must be to sit in calculus or chemistry when you have already received your one tampon from the nurse and you know you have no more. After much research and discovering 1 out of every 5 girls in the United States will miss school due to lack of feminine hygiene access, Dr. Glover decided to do something about it and the nonprofit Posh Pack, Inc. was born.
Posh Pack Inc. was created out of a need to provide middle and high school young women with feminine hygiene products, so they can focus on advancing their education without their bodily functions being a barrier to their success. The hope is to empower these young women to take full advantage of educational opportunities without worry about access to feminine hygiene products. Dr. Glover understands the lack of access to feminine hygiene essentials serves as a major distraction impacting the quality of life for young women.
The name Posh Pack was created to take away the stigma around menstrual cycles. The topic of menstrual cycles has long been a taboo topic, making young women feel insecure and unsure of themselves. Posh Packs are discreet pink and purple bags with menstrual items and an informational card on menstrual health. Dr. Glover believes young women feel more secure and confident in themselves when they have access to these items.
Due to Covid-19, Posh Pack, Inc. has developed a programming focus to make sure young women and girls have access to feminine hygiene during the pandemic. When the pandemic ramped up in early 2020, many schools closed, but due to financial hardship, the need for feminine hygiene access increased. Posh Pack, Inc. spent February thru July, giving feminine hygiene essentials to different organizations that are directly connected to women and girls who need these items most. Since February, as a result of donations, we have been able to give 5000 pads to organizations to include food pantries, homeless shelters, and civic organizations focused solely on period poverty. With continued support from donors, we hope to donate over 10,000 pads by the end of the year.
Has it been a smooth road?
The biggest challenge has been adapting in a pandemic to continue to serve our communities but through a different lens. Posh Pack, Inc. had developed great working relationships with school nurses through being a member of the Georgia Stomp Coalition and in our own efforts. Nevertheless, with the shutdown of schools, it no longer served our target population to provide donations to schools without students present. We really had to rethink how to fulfill our mission and do it in a way that was safe in a pandemic. After sending out a number of filler emails to various organizations, it was very apparent that these items were needed more than ever. We discovered many parents were already going to food pantries to receive food donations. It made sense to connect the two and have parents be able to receive food and feminine hygiene items at the same time. Reaching the community in this way has allowed us to continue our mission. We know the organizations we are giving to are reaching people in need and at the end of the day, that’s what Posh Pack, Inc. is all about.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Posh Pack Incorporated – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Posh Pack, Inc. has three focused programs. The first program is to provide Posh Packs (feminine hygiene items in pink and purple bags) to school nurses to keep girls in school that may lack access to feminine hygiene essentials. At puberty, a girl’s confidence plummets, with the onset of menstruation marking the lowest moment for many girls. But the drop in confidence is so much worse for girls that lack access to menstrual items.
The second focus and goal we have is advocating for more funding for feminine hygiene in schools. Multiple bathrooms throughout schools should have these items. Students’ access to menstrual products should not be a special request. Because we understand this, we spend much of our time speaking with local, state, and federal elected officials to convey the importance of this issue in schools. We work as part of a larger coalition, Georgia Stomp, to bring awareness to period poverty in schools as well as for women in general.
Lastly, due to COVID, we have developed another programming focus. When the pandemic ramped up, our schools closed, but due to financial hardship, the need increased. We have spent February – July giving over 5000 feminine hygiene essentials, food pantries, homeless shelters, and civic organizations focused solely on period poverty.
I believe what sets Posh Pack, Inc. apart is our commitment to advocacy in addition to our philanthropic efforts. To truly make an impact, it is critical we not only fill the gap of feminine hygiene items in schools, but we help elected officials understand the need for a budget line item that addresses this issue and keeps our girls in schools. Philanthropy without advocacy cannot create sustainable change and Posh Pack, Inc. wants to see sustainable change for all female students across the state of Georgia.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the diversity of the nonprofit community here. In joining the Georgia Stomp Coalition, Posh Pack, Inc. is tied to so many other organizations fighting for better access to this same issue for all demographics of people. There is a lot of support for non-profits and people want to help.
Contact Info:
- Address: Posh Pack Incorporated
850 Windy Hill Rd SE Unit 742
Smyrna, GA 30081 - Website: https://www.theposhpack.com/
- Email: theposhpackinc@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poshpack/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePoshPack
Image Credit:
Randomcy Photography
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
