Late last year, Queen City News and its parent company, Nexstar, launched a campaign to feature remarkable women in our area throughout this month. We asked you to tell us about the remarkable women in your life, and you answered!
(QUEEN CITY NEWS) — One in five girls will miss time in class because they don’t have access to feminine hygiene products. Dr. Elesia Glover is working hard to keep that from happening, one school at a time.
“In talking to nurses and educators and looking at more research, what I saw was that girls who got their period for the first time were faced with a lot of self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-awareness issues,” explains Dr. Glover. “So I wanted them to feel comfortable asking for these products in schools without having to say the words’ pad or tampon. From that, we tried to think of a discreet way they could receive the items they needed, but in a way that would feel most comfortable.”
So, in 2018, Elesia started her non-profit organization, Posh Pack.
Elesia and her team started out by distributing about 50 pads to schools at a time. Now, thanks to donations from individuals and various organizations, they’re up to 1,000 at a time. Students can also get pink bags — a “posh pack” — containing a stack of feminine hygiene products, along with a card with information on their menstrual cycle.
“Period Poverty” is a global issue. It refers to the inability to access or afford feminine hygiene products. Elesia points out how it shouldn’t be thought of as a privilege but a necessary right for those who need them. “Another part of Posh Pack is not only donating in our schools, but making sure elected officials and the general public are aware of the issue.”
Where Elesia comes from, a dedication to helping students and families is nothing new. She grew up in a family of educators while attending Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
“My mom is a teacher, my grandmother was a teacher, great aunt… so I was the one who strayed from the path of being a teacher. So I think in seeing them give back in that way, it instilled in me an obligation to serve.”
She’s spent her entire career in public service, working her 9-5 full-time job in Marketing and Communications for the federal government. Her husband Brian is amazed at how she juggles it all.
“She does a really, really good job at balancing multiple tasks,” he says. “I think she’s an amazing wife, she’s a great mother, she works really hard when it comes to her job. When the kids are in the bed and the chores are done, she signs on with her Board to see how they’ll proceed forward.”
Posh Pack is moving forward, all right. They’re now distributing period products in nine states, as well as responding to natural disasters, like Hurricane Helene and the wildfires in California.
Everywhere Posh Pack goes, its recipients are thankful.
Dr. Glover explains, “Feminine hygiene is often forgotten. When we’ve been able to work with organizations who are on the ground, they say oh my goodness yes, thank you so much for donating feminine hygiene because people need this as well.”
Locally, Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Nurse Ryann explains just how helpful it’s been. “Posh Pack has allowed the students to have the feminine products they need and remain in class. They’re here to learn, and it’s one less stress that they have to worry about day to day.”
Elesia is also working on a children’s book to help educate young girls about their menstrual cycle. For more information, go to their website, theposhpack.com.
