38 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | MARCH 2 020 By Karen Werner CHARITY SPOTLIGHT {giving back} THE STORY In 2017, Demetra Presley saw a Facebook video that changed her life. The video showed how a teacher, who was often approached by students asking for menstrual hygiene products, reached out to her social network to collect makeup bags, pads and tampons to make “period packs” to give to her students. “The video was shocking to me,” Presley said. “I didn’t know this was a need students had, or something that schools struggled to provide adequate resources for.” After seeing the video, Presley felt compelled to find out if this was an issue in Arizona. She Go With the Flow is there when girls need it CHANGING THE CYCLE The public is encouraged to become part of “the tampon tribe” by donating menstrual hygiene products, attending a period pack party, coordinating a donation drive, or spreading community awareness.

contacted friends who worked in schools or had middle or high school-aged children to ask if they knew whether feminine hygeine products were provided at their respective schools. She was frustrated by the answers she received. “I learned some schools don’t provide period products at all; some schools charge students for them; or — what’s most common — schools do have a budget for buying pads and tampons, but it’s not enough to meet student needs,” Presley said. As a result, school staff often pays for the products themselves or has to ration products they give. That means a student can receive a single pad or tampon, but not enough to get through a day or an entire cycle, making girls susceptible to things like toxic shock syndrome or resorting to using unsanitary items like toilet paper or socks. Some girls skip school altogether. “Go With the Flow was created to fill this gap because we believe that students should not have their dignity compromised or their education interrupted because they lack access to a basic hygiene item,” Presley said. THE CAUSE Presley, a federal probation officer by trade, has donated period packs to more than 150 schools through Go With the Flow, the nonprofit she started. Go With the Flow currently provides supplies to schools in Pima, Maricopa and Pinal Counties and has donated more than 20,000 period packs since January 2018. Schools decide which items they want, whether they be tampons, pads or panty liners. “We leave it up to the school to decide because they know best what products their students are asking for,” Presley said. “We want to be sure the products provided to a student are ones she will actually use.” The packs can make a massive difference in girls’ lives. “Partners have expressed seeing their students’ eyes light up at being given a fun bag that has multiple supplies in it, instead of just one,” Presley said. “It’s opened the door for open Your conscious life M A G A Z I N E #GreenLivingAZ 480 840 1589 • • Roosevelt Mini Park 837 N. 3rd Ave. Phoenix. AZ 85003 March 21, 2020 Yoga: 9a.m. Expos: 10a.m. - 3p.m. www.greenlivingaz.com/arizona-events/eco-events RSVP Online party.greenlivingaz.com HAVE FUN & INTERACT WITH US Introduces Eco PHX Substainable Apartments Eco Expo: • Local chef demonstrations • Sustainable products and services Green Living Magazine is providing an interactive experience for sustainability living by providing: • Family-friendly and children activities • Live music - come dance! Free Event Title Sponsor Other Sponsors